Colour To My Dark Soul
by InnocenceOfAnAngel
Summary: Hei is sent out on a mission to find and eliminate a rogue contractor. Little does he know that she is actually close by. What happens when they fall for each other?
1. Chapter 1: Hua

Hey! This is my first time ever writing a fanfic for an anime. So, please comment and tell me whether it is alright. This fanfic takes places during the 1st season of the Darker Than Black anime. It starts before the episode where Hei goes off to PANDORA to obtain the Meteor Fragment. Some of the situations will be like in the anime. Only that I will add in a few other things! Anyways, enjoy reading the fanfic and let me know what you think! Comments are much appreciated!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Hua**

"You have a new target," Huang said, exhaling a thick cloud of black smoke into the air while he leaned against a tree nearby. Mao sat down beside him, looking like a normal cat having an afternoon nap. Yin stared blankly at the ground while Hei sat at the end of the slide at the park.

"Who is it?" Hei asked, his voice void of any emotion.

Huang dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a picture, holding it out to Hei. "Here." Hei took the picture, looking at it. It showed two people, one girl and one boy. Both looked almost identical and both smiled at the camera. Both looked Asian and as if they were about the age of nine years old. The girl had long black hair and dark blue eyes while the boy had black hair and green eyes. "The girl is your target. She was a contractor for the syndicate before she went rogue. The boy in the picture was her older twin. He died during the disappearance of Heaven's Gate five years ago. Her codename when she was with the syndicate was Hua. Her Messier code is DF-103. The syndicate wants her dead."

"Why does the syndicate want her killed?"

"That's not for you to know, boy. Your job is to kill her. Not ask questions. Besides, the syndicate does not tell anybody more than what they need to know."

"Fine then… What about her whereabouts?"

"Unknown."

Hei got to his feet, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "So, I guess I will be busy for the entire week." He walked off, Yin following him.

Huang huffed and lighted another cigarette. Mao lifted his head and opened an eye, saying, "You didn't tell him the girl's actual age."

"He didn't ask," Huang muttered. "There was no need to tell him if he didn't bother asking."

"You are hopeless…" Mao stretched his stiff body. "I will see you around then. Hei would need me to help him look for the girl." He bounded off.

* * *

_"Shou?" Hua called as she walked among the buildings. The entire place inside Heaven's Gate was beginning to look creepy to her. _Just find Shou and then get out of here! _Hua told herself. She called for her brother. She knew he was not using his power because if he did, then she would know._

_"He must not be in that much danger then…" Hua said to herself, feeling slightly relieved. But that did not mean he was not under the risk of being attacked. She remembered the empty feeling she felt when she woke up in the morning to find Shou missing from the bed beside hers. None of the syndicate people could tell her where he had gone._

_Suddenly, the sound of sirens filled the air. She looked about her, trying to locate the sound. She saw planes flying above her. She felt panic in her heart and ran through the buildings, trying to find Shou. She looked up and saw the underside of the plane opening up, revealing rows and rows of bombs. She watched in horror as the planes dropped those bombs. She flew through the air as a bomb dropped on the ground nearby and exploded. She knocked her head against the side of a building. She grunted from the pain and sat up, seeing stars. She knew she had to find Shou fast._

_"Shou," Hua muttered, getting slowly to her feet, ignoring the pain she felt. She walked slowly, her hand on the side of a building as she walked. Her vision slowly cleared up but the pain at the back of her head was still strong._

_She appeared from the alley and her eyes widened at what she saw. Tanks littered the wide road like tin cans squashed and discarded once their contents were gone. There were bodies here and there as well. Hua walked slowly to the side of the street._

_"Shou…" Hua said. She ran down the road, looking for her brother. Then, she saw a boy, leaning against a lamp post. She recognized the long, thin sword he held and the green cloak he wore. "Shou!" She ran towards him. She hugged him and murmured, "Shou…"_

_"What are you doing here?" Shou croaked. "You shouldn't be here."_

_"I came to rescue you!" Hua said. "Why did you go without me? I was so scared that you had left me."_

_"I left you for a reason. You have to go now. You should not be here."_

_"Come with me, Shou."_

_"No. I can't. I am dying, Hua…" Hua felt something warm run down her leg. "Hua…"_

Hua gasp and sat up straight. She looked about her, disorientated for a moment before remembering where she was at. She rubbed her eyes. _Another bad dream again…_ she thought to herself. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and slowly got to her feet. Her black hair had been cut to a short bob and dyed a dark brown shade.

The room she currently stayed in was really messy from all the books thrown about the place. But she didn't seem to care. The untidiness of the room reminded her of how messy her brother could be and also reminded her about the fights they would have on why he should clean up. Those memories reminded her of her brother. So, she just left things the way they were.

"Been almost five years since then, right, Shou?" Hua murmured. She stepped into the toilet and took a quick shower. She dressed in a black skirt and white blouse. She was about to leave the small room she rented when she noticed a white envelope on the floor near the door. She picked it up and opened it, reading the letter.

She smirked when she was done reading the letter. She took a lighter and burned the letter. "Who cares if they come after me? I am more than able to protect myself." She opened the door of the house, pulled on a pair of black heels and left.

* * *

"How are we going to find one girl in this city?" Mao demanded as he walked on the wall beside Hei. "She could be anyone! How are we going to know whether this lady could be her or that lady could be her?"

"She will make a mistake sooner or later," Hei said softly. "When that happens, then we pounce on her. In the meantime, we keep watch."

"Yeah sure," Mao muttered. "Like the syndicate would wait so long for results! I will go around the city and see what I can find!" He ran off.

Hei continued walking slowly down the road. Suddenly, he stopped and placed a hand on his stomach. His stomach growled, as if demanding for food. He looked at his watch and said, "Oh… It's lunch time already… I guess I will go to that shop again…" He walked towards the ramen restaurant, thinking.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he walked straight into someone, causing the person to fall down and drop the load of papers and books. He apologized and helped catch the pieces of paper that flapped in the wind. He walked back towards the person, seeing that the person was a woman. She was a head shorter than him and had dark brown hair that barely brushed the collar of the blouse she wore. She was still kneeling on the ground, collecting all the books she had dropped.

"I am really sorry!" Hei said. "I didn't notice you." He helped pick up the remaining books she had dropped. The woman stood up and looked at him. She had an oval-shaped face, small nose and high cheekbones. He noticed that her big, round eyes were a dark blue colour. She had full lips that were a natural pink shade.

"It's alright," the woman smiled. "I should have done things one at a time rather than doing so many things at once. Thanks for helping me catch those papers. If you hadn't, I would have lost my entire night's work!"

"No problem," Hei said. "Need me to help you carry them to some place?"

"Oh! Yes! That would be a great help! Come on. My workplace is this way." She lead him to a nearby building, elbowing the door open as her hands were full. She walked up a flight of stairs with Hei following behind her. Soon, they were in an air-conditioned room filled with cubicles that were either occupied or empty.

The woman lead Hei over to a nearby cubicle and told him to put the books and papers there. A few people walked over to the cubicle. One of them said, "Whoa! Celine! New boyfriend?"

"Shut up!" the woman, Celine, muttered. "I have more important things to do than date people."

"That's what you always say!" a woman said. "You need to go out and have fun." The woman looked up and down Hei's body. "Though I would say, this guy looks hot! Would be shame if you wouldn't date him!" The entire group laughed.

"Very funny," Celine said. "I will be going to lunch now." To Hei, she said, "Come on! I will treat you to lunch! There's a very nice ramen shop nearby if you like ramen."

"Why don't you ask him to a nice fancy restaurant, Celine?" a guy from the group suggested before Hei could say anything. "Then after that, the both of you can spend the afternoon and night together! I can tell the boss that you are sick and-" Celine pulled his right ear.

"Mind your tongue, Nate," Celine hissed. The man squealed from the pain.

"Ow ow ow!" Nate said. "Let go of me!" Celine released him.

"Let's go!" Celine said, grabbing Hei's arm and dragging him from the office. Soon, they were back on the street. "I didn't manage to ask for your name."

"Li Shenshun," Hei said. "Most people just call me Li."

"I am Celine Park," Celine said. "Come on! Let's go have lunch!"

* * *

Hua looked up at the sky. Li Shenshun… An interesting person. She smiled when she remembered how he ate the many bowls of ramen. It was astonishing! She had never seen anyone eat so much before! She said, "But I bet if you were his age, you would be eating as much, wouldn't you, Shou?"

She sighed, holding her coat tighter about her. She wished she had brought a scarf with her. The nights in Tokyo could be very cold at times and she was not used to the cold even though she had lived here ever since she was born. Hua suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her ears listening for something. Someone was following her. She was sure of it. She turned down an alley, away from her home. She would take care of the troublemaker before returning home. She didn't want her private sanctuary to be invaded.

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a mask, putting it on. The mask covered the top part of her face. Flowers and leaves were painted onto the mask. She could hear the footsteps of the stalker following behind her, running after her. _If you are looking to rob this lady, you are going to be in for a big surprise!_ she thought, turning around to face the person. She heard the footsteps grow louder and lifted her arms. Her eyes glowed red and she was surrounded by a blue light. She felt the plants react to her.

She knew the person was going to round the corner and she got ready to strike. When the person emerged, she threw the plants forward. The person who rounded the corner, stared in horror as sharp thorns came down towards him, he said, "Wait! Hua! Wait!" Hua recognized the voice and drew the plants back.

"Amagiri!" Hua said, subduing her power and then hugging the man. "Where's Amber?"

"She's not around for the moment," Amagiri said. "Thank God I came instead of her. She could have been forced to use her power and that would be wasted."

"I am sorry, Amagiri," Hua replied. "It is dangerous times now. Everyone has to look out for themselves. Did you come here for something?"

"Amber has something she wants you to do." Amagiri reached into his pocket and took out a small picture, giving it to Hua. "She needs you to get into PANDORA and retrieve that item."

"PANDORA? Are you crazy? I am a contractor, if I get anywhere near Hell's Gate, there's no knowing what will happen! Any contractor, even you, would know that!"

"But you have more control over your power than the rest of us do. We need you to get into PANDORA. There is an item they have that the syndicate must never get their hands on."

"And I am the one needed to infiltrate PANDORA because of that? Why can't you send someone else? I would do any other jobs but this!"

"All the other contractors are busy. We don't have time to wait for any of them to be free. And, like I have said earlier, you are the best contractor we have that can control her powers."

"Fine then… But how am I going to get in?"

"We will take care of that. Resign from your job tomorrow and then get ready to leave for PANDORA. I will drop by your house later in the night. Try not to attack me then." He turned around and left. Hua looked down at the photograph she held. It showed the picture of a round, glass-like object that had a rainbow sheen.

"I hope I won't have to kill anyone then…" Hua murmured.


	2. Chapter 2: Meteor Fragment

This chapter has a few similar situations with the anime (Episode 11&12).

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Meteor Shard**

Hua ran a hand through her hair. It was now long and was a deep auburn shade. She changed into the uniform that had been prepared for her. She had just gotten in and reported to the section as a cleaner. She watched her surroundings as she listened to what the lady-in-charge had to say.

_"The syndicate will be sending a contractor in," Amagiri said the night before when he had come to brief her on the final details. "Be on your guard at all times. This contractor is one of their best. We cannot have you killed in there."_

_I know how to look after myself. _Hua thought. She didn't like the fact that Amber loved to treat her like a little kid. Even though she, Hua, was already 19 years old and Amber was only three years older.

"That will be all for today," the lady said. "Go have lunch and then go back to your rooms. Tomorrow is when your real work will start." Then, the lady went off.

Hua sighed. She had to start getting to work soon. She could not risk staying in PANDORA too long and also, she had no wish to run into another contractor, especially when that contractor is one of the top contractors of the syndicate. She had a quick lunch before going off to find what she could about the item that Amber needed.

* * *

Hei leaned against the slide, looking up at Mao. The other contractor was curled up and looked as if he was taking an afternoon nap. After awhile of Hei staring at him, Mao said, "Could you please look elsewhere? Your stares are disturbing. I can't take a nap if you continue staring like that."

"Huang wanted to meet us here," Hei said. "I think it would be better if you were wide awake to listen instead of lying there sleeping." He climbed up onto the platform and sat down at the head of the stairs.

"He wants to see you," Mao muttered, turning onto his back. "Not me. Anything he says this time does not really concern me."

At that moment, Huang appeared. He walked towards them and then sat on the slide. Hei looked over his shoulder at him before looking ahead of him. Huang said, "The syndicate wants you to get into PANDORA's research facility."

Mao sat up at the last remark and said, "Are you serious? That place is right next to the Gate! When a contractor gets close to either one of those gates, they run a risk of losing their control on themselves!"

"Yeah… I know that…" Huang muttered.

Mao looked at Huang. "Besides, I doubt he can even get past the first security check."

"Still, the syndicate insists that Hei must go in."

Hei turned to look at Huang. "What do they want me to do?"

"Recovery," Huang answered.

Hei and Mao looked at each other before Mao asked, "Recovery?"

"There was an explosion at the facility two weeks ago," Huang replied. "Two security guards were caught in the blast and died. The investigators in PANDORA treated it as a malfunction in the electrical systems. But a few days ago, a spy in the CIA said that the accident was caused intentionally in order to steal a material from inside the gate called the Meteor Fragment."

"And it still hasn't been taken outside the walls?" Hei asked.

"The syndicate sees it that way," Huang answered. "You'll recover it and bring it to them." When Hei did not say anything, Huang said, "Don't worry." He slid something across the platform between him and Hei. "Just do as you are told, like you always do." He got to his feet.

"What about the girl?"

"It's like a side mission now. Just kill her whenever you find her." He walked a little further away and then said, "Remember, Hei. This mission is top priority."

Then, Huang left. Hei got up, saying to Mao, "Protect Yin while I am gone. There are many people who would get rid of her at any chance they can get." Then, he left Mao to get ready for his next mission.

* * *

Hei looked about the place, in awe. He had never been inside the PANDORA research facility before. So, this was all new for him. He wondered where in the facility could anyone have hidden the Meteor Fragment. He needed to find it quick and then get out. Being too close to the gate was not going to do him any good.

"Are you paying any attention?" the man in charge asked.

"Yes, sir," Hei said. "I am sorry, sir."

The man nodded to the room behind him. "That's the only room we don't have to clean." Hei could see that the entire room was filled with telescopes and remembered about the one he used to own before it had been smashed up.

"Why is that, sir?" Hei asked.

The man grabbed Hei by the neck and said, "Because the guy in charge of the room is a nuisance." At that moment, someone behind them said, "Excuse me."

The man released Hei and turned around, looking a little shocked. He addressed the man who had talked as Section Chief Sergei and pulled Hei from the path of the man and the Indian girl who was with him, saying, "Out of the way, fool!"

Hei did not protest. He watched as the guy walked pass them and then spotted a girl further down the corridor. She also wore a janitor's uniform and had long auburn hair. But she looked a lot like Celine and even had the same eye colour as Celine's. He took a step forward and bumped into the Indian girl, making her drop the books and papers she carried.

"Why don't you watch where you are standing, you clumsy oaf?" the man in charged demanded. To the girl, he said, "I am so sorry, madam." He rushed over to help her and noticed that Hei still stood in his spot and he growled at Hei, "Don't just stand there! Help her pick up her stuff!"

"Oh… Yes, sir!" Hei murmured, bending down to pick up books and paper.

"I will meet you inside," Sergei informed her, going into the room.

"O-of course!" the girl said, quickly gathering the rest of her things. Then, she got to her feet and the other man got up as well. He snatched the file Hei held and passed it to the girl.

"I am really sorry, madam," the man said. "You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Hei noticed a small piece of paper on the floor and picked it up, quickly slipping it into his pocket.

"No. Thank you." Then, she rushed into the room after Sergei. The man glared down at Hei, while Hei looked up at him.

"I am sorry…" Hei said. The man huffed and then said, "Moving on." He turned his back on Hei and lead the other janitors to another place.

Hei looked up at where he had seen the girl with auburn hair and noticed that she was gone. He frowned, wondering whether he was seeing things. Then, he reached into his pocket and read the note left for him by the Indian girl before running after the other group of janitors.

* * *

Hua leaned against the wall, panting from her run. _Why was Li here? _she wondered. She had not expected a human she knew to be in this place. She had to quickly get her mission over and done for. She could not afford to be in this place any longer. She walked back to her room slowly, sitting on the side of the bed. She decided to take a nap, knowing that tonight, she would need to search even harder for the fragment. She had been in the facility for over a week already and still she had not manage to get any information on where the fragment could be hidden.

She closed her eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked at the alarm clock beside her bed and decided to get up. She changed into black, turtle neck shirt and black skinny jeans. She took off the auburn wig she wore to reveal black hair that barely brushed her shoulders. She tied her hair back with a thin black string. She wore on her mask and then black sneakers. Then, she strapped two long, thin swords to her back. One had a white handle while the other had a black handle.

She climbed into the air ventilation shaft above her bed and crawled through it. It was wider than what she had expected. She finally reached an exit and looked through the cracks, seeing no one about. She opened it and dropped silently onto the ground. She saw a security camera aimed looking at another way and swiftly cut the wire before running down the corridor.

She saw light coming from a room and heard voices coming from the room. She crept up to it, wondering whether there were people there who were talking about anything useful. She peeped around the side of the door and saw Li talking to Nick Hillman. Her eyes narrowed. On her arrival to the facility, she had not trusted Nick Hillman at all. There was something about him that made him suspicious. Were Li and him plotting something?

She heard them talking about the telescopes and real stars. Knowing them to be innocent enough, she crept off. She didn't have time to waste now. She needed to find the fragment soon. She not afford staying inside that place any longer.

A few nights later, she was again creeping about the place when she saw a flashlight going up the dark corridor. She frowned and disappeared back to where she came from, looking around the corner, seeing the owner of the flashlight walk pass her. It was the girl, Corinna, who saw ghosts. Hua followed her, wondering where the girl was going to. She saw the girl go into the room filled with telescopes. She watched the girl dismantle one of the telescopes, muttering to herself.

Hua frowned. Her head jerked up when she heard the sound of footsteps. She ducked into a room across that room, peeping through a crack in the door. She saw someone in a white lab coat go into the room, walking silently. _Is that person going to murder Corinna?_ she thought. She got out from the room and was about to rescue the girl when she saw a flash of blue light and heard the girl scream. She knew she was too late and turned to flee. She went back to her room and decided to sleep.

The next day, while she was walking about the facility with her mop and bucket, Isabella Pierre, someone she had met on the way to the facility, ran up to her. She looked excited and said, "Come! I just spotted this really hot guy on the facility! You have to see what he looks like! Come on, Celine!" She dragged Hua without listening to her protests. "A pity that there are people who think he killed this crazy girl... But I still think he is hot and sexy!"

Soon, they stood outside a large room that had many of the researchers. Hua saw Li sitting among the group of people in the room. All of them had some weird machine strapped to their shoulders and heads. She could not hear what Sergei said, but all them had the curious look on each other faces. All except Li. He had this blank sort of the expression, as if he had no feelings. _As if he were a contractor! _her mind screamed at her.

She looked over him, not being able to believe what her mind had just told her. He could not be a contractor. He was so nice to her. He could not be a contractor. Could not! She turned around and walked away from the room. At that moment, she saw Nick Hillman walk pass her. She stopped and turned about, studying the man. Her eyes widened when she realized that he walked the way the person who murdered Corrina did. She turned around and walked back to her room. She was certain that the man had the fragment that she needed. She will have to start planning in order to take it from him.

* * *

Nick went around the room on the wheelchair. His plan worked out well. But he needed to collect the fragment tonight in order to leave the facility. He was finally going to be able to see his sister. He was going to be able to make his dream come true! Even though this was not the way he had wished to achieve it.

"Forgive me, sister," Nick murmured. "I just want you to be happy."

* * *

Hua perched on top of a branch of a nearby tree. She watched as Nick entered a deserted building. She felt a little more alive now that she was near plants. Even though the plants inside the gate behaved strangely. It was as if they had a mind of their own. But she had easily controlled them.

A man's scream of pain drew her attention. She saw again the blue light before it faded away. She saw a man in janitor's uniform walk towards the building. She was not able to see who it was since the man's back faced her. She saw the man walk into the building and decided to stay where she was and watch. There were voices before a blue light flashed from the building.

Then, she saw Nick appear from the building. She could see that he was holding a gun. Following closely behind him was the man in the janitor uniform: Li. She stared at Li, wondering what he was doing here. Was he a contractor as well? She saw both Lee and Nick duck behind pillars, keeping an eye on each other.

Suddenly, she saw Li get to his feet and walk towards the middle of the road, as if there was something in the middle of the road. She saw Nick get up from his hiding place and then aim the gun at the back of Li's head. She jumped down from the tree and went towards Li, wanting to save him.

Suddenly, both Li and Nick started glowing blue and something circular in Nick's pocket begin to glow. The ground started shaking. Some sort of instinct told her to move away from that place. At first, Hua didn't want to listen. Then, she suddenly found herself unable to control the movements of her body. Something made her turn around and flee back to the tree she had been sitting on. She saw her shadow stretch out long and thin in front of her as she jumped back onto her perch. She looked at where Li and Nick were, seeing the light in Nick's pocket glow brighter and brighter until both men were engulfed in the light. She had to close her eyes and use her arms to shield her eyes from the light.

She heard the sound of a gunshot and wondered whether Li was hurt. Then, there was the sound of a loud explosion and then the light disappeared. Hua opened them to see a huge hole in the ground. The buildings close to the hole were all destroyed. She saw Li climb out of the hole. Nick was nowhere in sight.

In Li's hand, he held an object that had a rainbow sheen to it. She recognized it as the Meteor Fragment she had been sent to retrieve. She was thinking about fighting Li for it and then realized that he was exhausted to the point where she could have easily just taken it from him. But Hua decided against it. It was against her morals to just take an object from someone that was unable to fight back. She preferred them to be strong enough to fight her before she claimed the object as hers, a rightful claim to the prize she wanted.

"I will leave you alone for awhile, Li," Hua murmured before taking off into the night.


	3. Chapter 3: Remember Me, Little Kitty

This chapter is based on episode 13 and 14.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Remember Me, Little Kitty**

"You have another mission." Hua looked up at the sky, waiting for what Amagiri had to say. It was a clear sky tonight. So the false stars could be seen. She saw a star fall and knew that a contractor had just died. "There have been two contractors that have been killing contractors from our own organization and also contractors from other organizations." He passed her a photo that showed the picture of a fat lady and a skinny man. The lady looked as if she was a singer in some club. The man, on the other hand, looked like any regular hobo.

"The syndicate's contractors?" Hua asked.

"No. Our mole in the syndicate says they aren't. Besides, if they are under the syndicate's orders, then they would not be killing their own contractors as well, would they?"

"The syndicate works in sick ways. They may decide to kill any contractor they deem unworthy at any time."

"I doubt they would be interested in killing those contractors. Anyway, Amber wants you to keep an eye on them. When there is a suitable opening, kill them. They are very dangerous. Don't get yourself injured in any way. We need you alive."

"So that I can run more of your errands, I suppose?"

"You could reject any mission we give to you, you know!"

Hua got up, stuffing her hands into the pockets of the black trench coat she wore. "Like you would accept it when I do that. Besides, I owe Amber a lot. I will do what I can for her. Unless it goes against my own morals."

"Like stealing the Meteor Fragment from that guy?"

"He was exhausted. I don't like stealing stuff from people who are tired. It seems like a dirty tactic to do that… Where are the two contractors now?"

"We will let you know once we find out. But I guess you would be able to track them yourself, right?"

"I could. Though I would prefer if you could have told me. Since you can't, I will see you around then."

She left the place, walking slowly along the side of the river. The wig she now wore was long, wavy and a honey brown shade. She always had to change the colour and style of the wigs she wore in order to avoid being caught by anyone. But she refused to wear contact lens as she preferred her natural eye colour. Besides, her brother had made her promise before to never hide her eye colour as they were a very beautiful colour and he loved the colour of her eyes.

Suddenly, she heard the sharp sound of someone singing. She closed her ears, moaning from the pain. She looked up at the sky and saw a star fall before the singing finally stopped. Where those contractors nearby? She took out her mask from inside her pocket and wore it, taking off her wig and throwing it aside. She swiftly tied her shoulder-length black hair back from her face. She felt thankful that she had decided to bring out one of her swords that night. The black handled sword named 'Korlis' had been her brother's while the white handled sword 'Daevin' was hers. Holding it in her hand made her feel as if Shou was nearby.

She saw two figures standing under the bridge and ducked behind a building. She carefully peered around the building to look at the two figures, remaining hidden in the shadow of the building. She recognized them as the two from the photo and knew she had found her targets. She was about to fight them when she felt prickling on the back of her neck. She turned to see surveillance specters arriving. She watched as the man captured all the surveillance specters.

"Surveillance specters only come to the scene when there is a powerful contractor nearby," Hua said to herself. It couldn't be the man who attracted them. But the woman could have. Who were these two working for? And how could they be so powerful?

The man suddenly turned to face the lake, making Hua follow his gaze and saw him extract another specter from the lake. Suddenly, the man smiled and he said something to the woman before the both of them got into the car and drove off. Hua tried to follow them. But they were too fast. Soon, she gave up.

"I guess I will have to use your powers just this once, Shou," Hua murmured.

* * *

Hei walked along the street, looking for Yin. He wondered where Yin could have gone to and what had happened to her to have suddenly ceased contact with any of them. Mao had just reported that she was not at the usual place. Had those contractors managed to capture her? He needed to find her quick!

"Oh! Li!" Hei turned to see Celine coming down the street. Her brown hair had grown to now brush her shoulders and she had a slight tan to her skin. "Fancy seeing you here. Do you have business in this district?"

"Um.. No," Hei replied. "I was just looking for a friend of mine."

"Ah…" Celine murmured. "Are you free enough to have lunch with me? Though, I would prefer if you didn't eat too much since you nearly made me bankrupt the last time you did…" She laughed a little.

"Of course," Hei smiled.

Hua watched as Li ate his sixteenth bowl of ramen. She teased him, telling him he was going to get fat. She found herself wishing that this brief moment she was sharing with him would last forever. Everything about him seemed to interest her. Finally, Li placed the empty bowl on the table and Hua giggled. He had a small strong of noodle on his chin. She took out a tissue paper from her handbag and leaned across the table to help wipe it away.

Li, surprised at her action, reached up and touched her hand, his fingers slowly wrapping around hers. They both stared at each other. Hua felt as if she was drowning in his eyes. Suddenly, there was the sound of a phone ringing and Li released her hand. Hua sat down, taking a deep breath. It felt as if her heart had stopped for a moment while she looked into his dark eyes.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, saying, "Yeah?" He listened for awhile, frowning. Then, he said, "I am on my way." He stood up, slipping his phone into his pocket. He said to Hua, "I am sorry. I have work to do. I will see you around, ok?" He shouted over to the owner of the ramen shop, "I will pay you the next time I drop by. Is that alright?"

"Sure!" the man said. "Good luck with your work!" Li smiled and then rushed out of the shop.

"Here," Hua placed a few notes on the table. "Keep the change." She walked out, following Li from a distance.

* * *

Hei slipped into a dark alley, taking apart the watch he wore and plugging in a small ear piece he always carried in his pocket. He heard some noise like wind blowing and Mao's yowl above the wind. He said, "Mao, where are you?"

"Holding tightly onto a taxi at the moment so I have no clue where I am!" Mao replied. "I heard that detective and a guy talking about a girl that fit Yin's description so I thought that I should follow them. I will let you know as soon as I am able to locate Yin!"

Hua watched as Li wrapped a long black jacket around himself. He looked different when he wore that coat. As if he were an assassin. He took out a mask from his other pocket and wore it. Hua recognized the mask description as the one most contractors called the Black Reaper.

"And I thought you were different…" Hua murmured, watching as Li took off. "I thought I had meant a decent person at last… Looks like you aren't who I thought you would be…"

She pulled off the wig she wore and then put on her own mask. She may not have her swords with her but her power as a contractor was sufficient enough to protect her. She followed Li. Shutting away any emotion she was currently having. Soon, they were running along a deserted street. She saw Li stop running and quickly ducked behind a huge trash can. Li, on the other hand, knelt down and seemed to be talking to a black cat.

* * *

Yin felt as though something was calling her. She may not know the place she was currently in. But there was something calling to her. As if it were part of her soul. She walked out of the café toward it, ignoring anyone that told her to stop. Soon, she stopped at an deserted part of a housing estate.

She walked a little further and then turned to her left into a construction site, following the call. She saw what had been calling her floating on the surface of a water puddle. As she approached it, it vanished. She turned to her right and saw a man standing there. She was not really listening to what he was saying. She only heard her instincts that told her to run.

When the man stopped talking, Yin turned and began to flee. But the man grabbed her arm. At that moment, a black cat that seemed familiar to Yin dropped from the rooftop and onto the man, clawing into his face.

"Run, Yin!" the cat told Yin. She tried to follow what the cat said but she suddenly felt weak and stumbled a little. The man managed to extract the cat from his face and threw him aside.

"Come back here!" the man said to Yin. But he was suddenly grabbed by a masked man from the back and he said, "Who are you?"

Hei was about to electrocute the man when he heard someone take a deep breath and start to sing. Hei was stunned by the singing and the man elbowed him roughly, running away. Hei heard Mao say, "Look out, Hei!" Hei looked up and saw the metal beams of the structure shake and fall apart. Mao said, "Its gonna fall apart! Let's go!" Mao fled without looking back at Hei. Hei looked ahead and saw Yin standing too close to the structure. Metal poles fell about her. He quickly rushed towards her, not caring about his own safety.

* * *

Hua stood on top of a nearby tree. She saw that Li was in danger and without thinking, she sent out a stream of plants to try to prevent most of the falling metal from falling on Li. She swung the metal poles she had managed to catch away from him. She was astonished when she saw him run across the compound and save the doll. Did he like her? She felt a sting of jealousy and quickly pushed it aside. Contractors were not suppose to have feelings. She made the plants she had controlled to throw the metal aside.

She had seen and heard enough. Li's real name was Hei. She recognized the other man and woman who were there as her targets. Though the doll, Yin, and the talking black cat, she had no idea who they were. She looked at Li. He was the Black Reaper, a contractor employed by the syndicate. She wanted to kill him. She hated anyone that worked for the syndicate. But something stopped her.

She bit her lip and then turned around. She would let him live. Eventually someone would kill him. Until then, she would wait.

* * *

Hua returned back to her house and packed a few things into a large backpack. She picked up her swords and placed them into a long, round container, closing the cap tightly. She could not risk having them rust. She was nearly done with her packing when she heard a rustling sound. She removed a dagger from the sheath she had tied around her right thigh and then swiftly turned around with it raised.

Brita huffed as she caught Hua's arm, stopping Hua from stabbing her in the chest. She said, "Wow! You are more alert than usual."

"Brita!" Hua slid the dagger back into its sheath. "I am so sorry! I thought you were an enemy or something…"

"Oh well… I should have teleported outside and then knocked before I entered or something. But there is a high chance of someone seeing me before you let me into the room. Not to mention that I am naked. Any of your neighbors would think that-"

"Okay! Enough! So why are you here?" She bent down to resume her packing.

"Amber sent me with a message."

Hua looked up. "A message from Amber? What does she need to say?"

"She says to tell you to stop whatever you are thinking of doing."

Hua frowned. "I am going after the targets I have been sent to kill. If she has sent you with those orders, does it mean I have to forfeit the mission?"

"She said to tell you 'yes'. Even though she knows that you won't listen to her."

Hua swung her backpack onto her shoulder. "Good. Then, you should tell her that I am going." Hua marched towards the door.

Brita placed a hand on Hua's shoulder. "She seemed worried for you, Hua. I think you should listen to her. All of us are. Even though you are not the youngest… But we know how painful it can be to-"

"I am going either way. No matter what you say, I am still going to go. Go back to base. I know you need to pay your contract already. So, go! Tell Amber that I will do what I want when I want!" Then, she left the place without looking back to see the sad expression on Brita's face.

* * *

Hua followed the car that the two contractors were in. She leaped from tree to tree, watching them. The tracer she had planted in their car seemed to have gone undetected. Soon, they stopped driving and got down. Hua reached into her bag and pulled out her mask, wearing it. She took her swords from the cylinder, strapping their sheaths securely to her back. Then, she tied her bag to the tree, weaving the leaves and small branches under the bag to hide it from view. She climbed to the top of a tree, wondering exactly where they were going. Ahead, she saw what looked like an abandon school. Was their target there? She felt water drop on her head and frowned. She hated the rain. But she had a mission to finish either ways…

She decided to go ahead to investigate, knowing that her targets where not going to go anywhere without her knowing. She leapt to another tree, creeping towards the school. She was close by when she saw something in black moving among the trees. She ducked behind a tree, looking. She heard the rustle of leaves and quickly drew her white-handled sword, managing to deflect a dagger that was aimed for her head.

The dagger withdrew and Hua saw where it came from. Li stood further away, dressed in the long black coat and mask she had seen him wear. He held the dagger, ready to throw it at her again. She slid the other sword from its sheath, poised for battle. Both of them stared at each other for awhile before Hua rushed at him. Her lips open in a silent battle cry. She felt anger, betrayed and sadness course through her veins.

He ducked from her attack, about to stab his dagger upwards into her stomach. She stumbled away, knocking his arm away. They continued that way, attacking and defending themselves. Finally, Hua managed to slash his leg with one of her swords. She stumbled away, smiling before she felt pain at her abdomen. She dropped one of her swords and clutched her stomach, looking down to see blood flowing from a long cut. She looked back at Li to see her blood dripping from the dagger he held.

She dropped to the ground, holding her stomach, trying to stop the flow of blood. She looked as he approached her with the dagger, holding his gaze. She looked up at him as he stood about a feet away from her. He said, "I don't have any more time to waste on you. I will let you leave here. If you dare interfere with what I have to do, I will kill you without hesitating." His voice now sounded very much like the voice of a killer, a murderer. He turned and left.

Hua waited until he left before she removed her mask, throwing it away from her. She was glad for once for the rain as she felt tears flow from her eyes. She tore the sleeve of her shirt and tied it around the wound. She got to her feet, retrieving her dropped sword from the ground. She wondered whether she should follow him or just go back.

"I will just observe him from a distance," Hua murmured, walking as fast as she could after him. She was glad that the wound was not deep.

Suddenly, she heard someone sing and dropped to the ground, covering her ears. The sound seemed torturous to her. _Li!_ she thought, feeling alarmed. She forced herself to get to her feet. She needed to get to him. She partially ran, partially walked now. Feeling of fear and anxiousness coursed through her body when she heard the sound of something huge collapsing to the ground. She appeared from the trees and found herself looking at the school building. Or what was left of it.

The building had been reduced to a huge pile of debris. She saw her two targets standing in the empty courtyard. The doll, Yin, and a man were at the other end of the debris. Hua looked for Li, unable to find him. From the cloud of dust, she saw him appear, running towards her targets. He took his dagger from inside his cloak. She was about to tell a warning to him but the woman's singing drowned out her voice.

Hua watched as Li collapsed to the ground, moving once before lying still. The woman approached him. Hua thought he was already dead until she saw his hand move and the woman stopped, clutching at something that wrapped around her neck. Hua saw Li glow blue and heard the crackling sound of electricity before the woman collapsed. Her accomplice called her name and then took out a gun from his pocket. Hua raised her hand, her eyes turning red as she glowed blue.

The root of a tree appeared from the ground and went through the chest of the man the same time a gunshot sounded. Hua released the tree from her power and watched it return to the ground before looking at where the gunshot came from. A car stood parked just a few feet from her. The owner of the car did not seem to notice her standing there at all.

She quickly jumped upwards, hiding among the branches of the tree. She looked back at where her targets were, frowning when she saw the man move. She was sure she had managed to kill him. So, why did he still move? The man collapsed on the ground near the woman and stared at the sky. Then, there was a burst of light as things that looked like observer spirits appeared from the man's body and floated into the sky.

Hua looked back at Li, seeing him stare at the sight of the glowing spirits. She sighed and then turned around, seeing a black cat sitting on the tree branch above hers. She looked at it, feeling as though she was looking at a human. She said, "Remember me, little kitty. You will be seeing more of me in the future." Then, she swiftly knocked the cat on the side of the head, using the blunt end of her sword. She looked back at Li one more time before leaping off into the night.


	4. Chapter 4: A Change Of Heart?

**Chapter 4: A Change of Heart?  
**

"You have a new mission," Huang said. His voice sounded distant and there were crackles of static. "There will be a package flying out from Japan to America. The syndicate needs you to get the package before it leaves the country. Apparently someone managed to steal the Meteor Fragment before the syndicate could secure it."

Hei listened to the instructions intently. He was sitting down in his bare room at the moment. Only two days had passed since he had killed the two contractors. He had been recovering. The injury on his leg proved to be deeper than he expected. But not deep that the muscle had been severed. He could not run as fast as he use to be able to but he could still fight.

"When is the package leaving and where is it held?" Hei asked.

"The package leaves about two nights from now," Huang answered. "We don't know where it is being held. But what we do know is that the only flight leaving Japan for America at that time of the night would be a plane in the Narita International Airport."

"How would I know which plane it will be?"

"I will give you the details tomorrow night. Until then, don't go doing anything reckless. I can't have you ending up lost like Mao. Stupid contractors. Useless dolls… You guys can't seem to look after yourselves properly!" Then, the other line went silent.

Hei sighed and slowly got to his feet. He removed the ear piece and packed it back into the watch, wearing the watch once he was done. Then, he limped over to the door, grabbing his green jacket. He needed lunch and he had no interest in cooking for the moment. Maybe he would visit the ramen shop again or he could try eating at some place new.

"Thank you very much for ordering from Fanny's Pizza!" a woman's voice was heard. Hei thought the woman's voice sounded familiar and looked to see a familiar-looking person standing across the corridor. The person seemed to be putting something into a pouch she wore. The woman turned and saw Hei. He thought he saw a brief flash of anger that vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Li!" Celine smiled. "Do you live here?"

"Um… Yeah," Hei said, walking towards her. "What are you doing here, Celine?"

"Oh! Delivering pizza," Celine said. She looked at Babo, who held a box containing a large pizza. "I just quit my job last week and I thought of trying to deliver pizza." Babo closed the door as soon as Hei appeared in his line of vision.

"A big change isn't it? From an office job to pizza delivery that is…"

"I don't mind! It's still job experience to me. Besides, Fanny's Pizza needed an extra hand and I came along at the right time."

"Oh…"

Celine noticed the way he was dressed and asked, "Are you on the way out for lunch?" Hei nodded. "Why don't you come by Fanny's Pizza? The place may not be as popular as Pizza Hut but we do serve delicious pizza that is all freshly made! Even the ingredients are fresh!"

"You sound like an advertisement on a radio…" Hei remarked.

Celine laughed. "I have been told that a lot. Come on! Just give it a try just once! I will give you a free lift to the shop."

"Alright then…" Hei smiled.

But soon that smile disappeared when he saw what Celine rode on. The scooter looked old and kind of worn out. There were two black, water proof bags on the sides of the seat. Its black paint was chipped at certain places showing rust under the paint. He asked, "Are you sure it is safe for another person to ride on it? It looks like it will break at any moment."

"Don't worry!" Celine said, offering him a helmet. "My trusty steed has never given up on me." She got onto the scooter and patted the seat behind her. "Come on! I have another delivery to run before we can go back to Fanny's Pizza." Hei put on his helmet and then got on the scooter behind her. "Hold on tight! I would need to rush to my next delivery since I have only fifteen minutes left to get to that place. Man! I hate it when its lunch time. Too many people on the road at this time. I guess I will have to use the alleys to get to the other side of town…" She thought about something, muttering to herself as she planned which route to take.

"Um… Celine, I think-" Hei begin to say, having second thoughts about going to Fanny's Pizza.

"I guess that route is possible!" Celine brightened, obviously not hearing Hei at all. She stuck the key into the ignition and started the scooter. "Hang on!" Hei barely had time to wrap his arms around her waist before the scooter started flying down the street. He looked over her shoulder and saw that she was driving at 110km per hour.

_I am going to regret this… _Hei thought as Celine sped up around corners. She zigzagged through the streets. He felt dizzy soon and buried his face in Celine's back, closing his eyes. He could smell the shampoo in her hair that smelt strangely like a combination of vanilla and orchids. He vaguely remembered that there was another contractor in the syndicate a long time ago that had hair that smelled like that. Though who, he could not remember.

"You can let go of me now," Celine said, a hint of amusement in her voice. Hei unwrapped his arms from her waist and opened his eyes, seeing the world around him spin. He quickly got off the scooter and then leaned over a drain, vomiting his breakfast out into the drain.

Celine had gone to deliver the pizza and had returned. She pat him on the back. When Hei was done, she offered him a bottle of water. She said, "You are the first person to have not screamed while I drove. And also the first to have puked up after riding on my scooter."

"I think I will be the first and the last person to do that then," Hei murmured, rinsing his mouth. "Do you always drive that fast?"

"Every now and then," Celine answered. "I usually drive slowly since I do enjoy the scenery around town. But today, I had to rush. Can't afford to be late when making a delivery! Come on! We can take the scenic road to Fanny's Pizza. That should be able to give your stomach sometime to recover." She got on her scooter. Hei reluctantly got on behind her. He held tightly onto her. She said, "Not too tightly please. I can't breathe if you squeeze me like that!" Hei relaxed his grip a little as Celine started up the engine on her scooter.

True to her word, Celine drove slowly. Soon, the scooter was cruising down the main roads at 70km per hour. Hei looked at the passing scenery. It was in the afternoon and there were massive jams all over the place. But Celine guided the scooter around and between the jammed vehicles expertly.

They were rounding a building when Celine said that he should look to his left. When they were pass the building, Hei saw a park with a beautiful lake in the center of it all. The city seemed to have moved and gave way to the park. He had always been to the park to carry out missions. But not once had he been able to admire the beauty of it.

"Nice, right?" Celine said. "I have always enjoyed this view. How's your stomach now?"

"Much better," Hei answered. At that moment, it growled loudly. Hei turned red a little as Celine laughed.

"Looks like it wants to be filled up. We will be at Fanny's Pizza soon. Tell your stomach to hang on until then." She laughed again when Hei's stomach growled.

Soon, she parked her scooter outside a tiny shop. It had a huge pizza slice on its roof with the words 'Fanny's Pizza' written across the pizza. Hei got down, handing the helmet back to her. He followed her inside. As soon as he stepped into the place, the aromatic smell of food blasted straight into his face. His stomach growled again.

"Fantastic smell, right? The food tastes as good as it smells!" Celine said. "And-"

"CELINE!" a red-haired lady in her mid-thirties ran towards her. She looked distraught.

"What's wrong, Fanny?" Celine asked, looking concern.

"Thomas is in the hospital!" Fanny said. "I told him to not climb that tree! I told him it was dangerous! But he didn't listen to me at all! Listen! I need you to help look after the shop, ok? You are the only one I can trust to not let this entire place go bankrupt."

"Hey!" an African man said, appearing from what looked like the kitchen area. He wore a chef's hat and looked offended with what Fanny had said. "I am trust-worthy too, ok?"

Fanny continued without listening to the man, "Please, Celine! I know that your shift is already up. But please! Just for an hour or two, ok? Our lunch customers will be here soon and I can't close the shop! I will give you free pizzas, ok? Maybe you can ask your friend here to help out as well?" She looked over at Hei before looking back at Celine.

"Um… Ok, I guess?" Celine said.

"Thank you so much!" Fanny squealed before running out of the shop. "I will be back in an hour! Promise!" The door clicked shut behind her. Hei stared at the door, a bit surprised by what he had seen. Suddenly, something white flew at him and covered his face. He removed it and was surprised to see that it was an apron with the words 'Fanny's Pizza' sewn onto the front of it in bold letters.

"You will be alright with helping out, right?" Celine asked. Hei nodded and then wore on the apron. At that moment, a group of young school girls entered the shop and Celine said, "Let's get to work!"

* * *

"You were fantastic just now!" Hua said to Li. "Are you sure you don't want to work at Fanny's Pizza?"

"I am sure," Li replied, taking a huge bite out of a slice of pizza. A stack of empty boxes sat on the ground next to him. He and Hua had to go elsewhere to enjoy their free pizzas since Fanny had wanted to close the shop after lunch hour. Now, they were sitting at the top of a hill after a half hour trek through the jungle. The hill overlooked a shining, blue lake.

He was reaching over for another pizza slice when Hua noticed how messy he was from eating. She sat down on the ground beside him, taking out a handkerchief and saying, "Wait…" She wiped away the mess. "You are like a little boy. Can't you learn to eat properly?"

Then, she looked up at his eyes that were looking at her and felt her breath caught in her chest and her heart seemed to beat irregularly. To her, it seemed as if time had slowed down. She blinked and then turned away, feeling her face become warm. She peeped at Li and saw him looking a little lost for a moment before he slowly picked up another slice of pizza and eat it.

"So… Are you an only child, Li?" Hua asked. She leaned against the tree beside Li.

"No…" he answered. "I had a younger sister. She was the most important person to me. I would sacrifice anything to be sure that she was safe."

"Had? What happened to her?"

"I don't know… She disappeared five years ago. What about you, Hua? Do you have any other siblings?"

"I had a twin brother. We used to be so close to each other until we would always do things together. He always looked out for me since I was the younger twin. He would try to do things without me." Hua laughed a little. "But I would always manage to find out what he was planning to do. He never was good at keeping secrets in the first place. To me, he was everything. We were orphans, you know. So, he was all the family I ever had…"

She heard snoring and turned to see Li fast asleep, an opened box of pizza rested on his lap, the pizza half eaten. Hua shook her head and leaned over, closing the box so that nothing weird could land on it. She looked at Li, remembering that he was a contractor for the syndicate and that she should get rid of him. She raised her hand, her eyes glowed red and a blue light surrounded her body. A sharp plant with lots of thorns on his stalk appeared from the ground. She was about to use it to strangle him but stopped. Somehow, she couldn't do it.

It was as if this man suddenly felt important to her. She clenched her fist before releasing the plant from her control. She slammed a fist into the ground, feeling her stomach wound throb. She looked back at Li and wondered why she couldn't do it. She sat down on the ground closer to him and tilted his head a little so that his head now rested on her shoulder. She stroked his hair, feeling the need to protect him. She smiled as she watched his sleeping face before she too closed her eyes and slept.


	5. Chapter 5: Unanswered Questions

**Chapter 5: Unanswered Questions**

Hei knelt in the shadows of the building. Tonight was the night of the mission and his injured leg felt worst than ever. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind, knowing that he needed to concentrate. He watched as a group of men talked outside the lone plane that stood at the end of the runway. Another man entered the picture, pushing a huge crate towards the plane. Hei frowned. The Meteor Fragment was not that big. Had they done something to it?

He looked down at his watch. They should be leaving soon. And he needed to get there fast.

* * *

Hua came out of the bath, exhaling a sign of relief and pleasure. The warm bath she had was just good enough to loosen her sore muscles after a long day of hard work. She was drying her black hair with a towel when she felt the air move behind her. She turned and came face to face with Brita.

"What are you doing here?" Hua demanded.

"Amber needs you to do something for her," Brita said. She held out her hand. In it was the Meteor Fragment that Amber had sent her after. "She said to tell you to take and go to Narita International Airport. Give it to the masked man that will be there. Don't go through the airport. Climb over the fence and go to the airstrip." Brita placed the fragment on Hua's hand. Hua turned to go but Brita grabbed her arm, saying, "Be careful, Hua. Amber said something about armed men. I think something bad is going on there. Make sure you proceed with caution."

"Alright," Hua said. She was about to leave when she turned back to Brita and asked, "How did Amber get the fragment? I thought the syndicate managed to retrieve it."

"I will explain another time," Brita said. That was when Hua noticed the cuts on her body. "I have to go. Bye!" Brita vanished. Hua looked at the fragment that was in her hand. _Give it to the masked man… _Brita's voice echoed in her head. _Something about armed men…_

"Li!" Hua said, alarmed. She quickly went over to her cupboard, changing into her black clothes and then strapping her swords to her back and a long dagger to her upper left arm. She wore on her mask and tied her hair back from her face. She slipped the Meteor Fragment into her pants pocket. Then, she jumped out the window of her fourth story apartment, landing silently on a tree. She felt sharp bolts of pain shoot up from the wound on her stomach. She grunted from the pain But forced herself to get up.

"Li…" Hua murmured. She dropped from the tree onto a lorry. She was glad that it was close to sundown. At least not many people can see a weird masked lady riding on top of a lorry. When the lorry turned onto a road away from the airport, she quickly jumped onto another vehicle, heading in that direction.

* * *

Hei watched as the people walked into an airplane garage nearby. When he was sure that there was no one else about, he ran silently across the airstrip and climbed into the plane. He needed to get the fragment and then eliminate everyone else. When he got onto the plane, he found himself looking up at a man with a gun pointed at him. He looked about and saw a few other men there with guns as well. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see more men standing outside.

"So you are the Black Reaper," Hei looked up and saw a man in a white suit step forward. " I didn't think that I would get to see the contractor that had managed to kill two of my best contractors. You must be quite good to have managed to kill Bertha." The man turned around and said, "The fragment is not here. It is elsewhere. This is revenge for killing my contractors." He walked back into a deeper part of the airplane.

Hei watched the men about him. Then, he noticed the man in front of him squeeze the trigger of the gun. Quickly, Hei leapt upwards and over the group of men. He felt the bullet whiz past his ear and hit the man standing behind him straight in the head. Hei landed outside the group of men and clutched his leg. It felt as if his leg was about to detach itself from the rest of his body.

He looked up and saw the men coming at him. He reached in his coat and took out his dagger, throwing it at the closest man. It went through the man's arm and then he used his power to electrocute him. The man screamed before collapsing.

"Hei, what's going on?" Huang demanded.

"It is a trap," Hei said, kicking a knife out of the grip of another man before touching him and electrocuting him. "The fragment is not here. Do I still have to eliminate them?"

"Yes," Huang replied. "Eliminate all of them. We will find the fragment later." Then, the line went dead.

Hei drew back his dagger and then threw it at man with a wooden bat. His aiming must have been off for that night because the dagger got caught on the bat and was stuck there. He tried to pull it back, but it was no use. He released the dagger and went into his martial arts mode, kicking upwards at a man's throat. The man choked as he collapsed to the ground, suffocating.

Suddenly, he as if there was a heavy weight on him even though there was nothing on him. He looked up to see a contractor standing there. Hei dropped to his knees, trying to resist the contractor's power. But it was no use. He watched helplessly as the other men advanced on him. There was a scream of surprise and then Hei felt quite light. He looked up and saw that around the contractor's neck was a green, thorny-looking rope. The rope withdrew and blood leaked from the holes on the contractor's neck before he dropped to the ground.

The rope moved and Hei realized that it was a plant as it went through the chest of a nearby man. In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure that glowed blue standing on the rooftop of a cargo hold. The figure was obviously a lady because of the tight clothes she wore. Like him, she also wore a mask. Only that the mask covered the upper half of her face and was white with green plants and colorful flowers curling around the sides of the mask.

"Look out!" the figure shouted at him. He turned and quickly ducked under a knife that slashed through the air where his neck would have been. He punched the man in the stomach and then snatched the knife away from him, stabbing him in the chest quickly and then standing up to throw it at the head of another.

Soon, the entire airstrip was like a battlefield. Hei started to approach the airplane but it exploded all of a sudden. He stumbled away from the inferno, grabbing his dagger from where it lay on the ground. He looked up at the cargo hold and saw the figure kneeling on the roof, clutching her stomach. He quietly climbed up and was on the roof behind the figure. She turned and he held his dagger at her neck.

"Why did you save me?" Hei asked. "You are not a member of the syndicate." Hei saw her lips curl upwards in a smirk.

"I guess I am not," the figure said. "But then… I was like you. I once was part of the syndicate."

"What?"

"Don't believe me? I doubt you would anyway."

"Why are you here? Didn't you try to kill me a few days ago? That was you, wasn't it?"

"So what if it was me? I just saved your life, Hei."

"How do you know my name?"

"I have my ways of finding out what I need to know." She got to her feet, unafraid of the dagger that Hei held steadily at her neck. "You are bleeding." She gestured at his bleeding leg. His wound had reopened again.

"So are you." Hei looked at the drops of blood on the place where she had knelt.

She looked down and said, "So, I am…" Then, she reached into her pocket and pulled out something from her pocket. She held it out to Hei. Hei took it from her. "Something a very special person told me to give to you. I don't know why she would do it. But I guess she has her own reasons." Hei looked down at what she had given him and then looked up at her, surprised. He held the Meteor Fragment in his hand. There were bloody prints on it from where she had held it.

"I will see you around, Hei…" She stepped backwards and then dropped off the building. Hei looked and all he saw was a white colour bird flying off. He heard the sound of sirens and quickly got to his feet, leaping off the building and vanishing into the shadows.

* * *

Hua bit tightly into a pillow as she applied iodine all over her wound. It had reopened and blood dripped all over the floor of her apartment. She had better clean up once she was done. She felt the air move behind her and quickly grabbed a knife, turning around. But doing such a movement hurt her and she sat back down on the chair, biting her tongue to keep her from crying out in pain.

"Let me help you with that," Brita said, kneeling before Hua and applying the iodine on the wound. "You shouldn't have overexerted yourself. This looks bad."

"I will do as I want," Hua grunted. She yelped when Brita pressed the brush tightly onto one part of the wound. "BRITA! OW!"

"Make sure you have learnt your lesson then," Brita muttered. "You could have gotten yourself killed! That is twice in a week so far!"

"Being a contractor means you have to be close to death very often…"

"True… But you are not really like us. You have feelings. And you make us feel as well. You and Amber are similar in that sense."

Hua snorted. "Why are you here, Brita?"

Brita placed the bottle and brush on the table. "Amber wants to see you. I will come by four days from now at this time. See you." She vanished after saying that. Hua sighed and wrapped the bandage carefully about her wound. Then, she picked up her phone, scrolling through the contact list and then she stopped a number and called the person.

"Hello?" Li's voice came over the phone.

"Li? Its Celine." Hua felt relieved to hear his voice. It meant that he had already come home and was safe.

"How did you get my number?"

"Stole it from you while you slept the other day. What are you doing?"

"Nothing much. I just got back. So I was thinking about taking a quick shower and then maybe going to sleep."

"Oh… Ok then. I will see you around then!"

"Wait! Celine!"

"Yeah?"

"Um… Never mind. Good night, Celine." Then, the line went dead.

Hua stared at her phone before placing it on the table. She walked over to her bed and collapsed on it. She would clean up the place tomorrow. Now, she wanted to just sleep… As well as sort out her feelings for Li. Somehow, her instincts told her that he was a friend. Someone she should not kill. She frowned for awhile. He reminded her of someone. His hair, his eyes, even his fighting style were like someone she knew. But who, she could not remember. Hua turned over, whispering, "Shou, what am I feeling? Can you tell your naïve sister what she is feeling?" Then, she went to sleep.

* * *

Hei placed his phone on the floor next to him. Then, he went back to treating his wounded leg. He gritted his teeth tightly as he applied iodine to the wound before bandaging it up. When he was done, he slumped back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. He reached into his pocket and took out the Meteor Fragment. Did that figure have it the entire time? Why did she save him? Who was she? Was she Amber? No… Amber did not have black hair… And that voice did not even sound like Amber! Which organization was she from? How could she control plants and at the same time turn into an animal? (if that white bird was her that is)

Hei frowned. Too many questions unanswered. He hated questions unless he had answers to them. He looked back at his phone, placing the Meteor Fragment on the ground beside it. Huang had told him that the phone should only be used to contact him or when Huang needed to talk to him. But now, a normal human girl had managed to get his phone number just because he fell asleep after working so hard and then having a heavy lunch. He rarely let down his guard like that unless his instincts told him it was safe. Which was rare ever since the appearance of the gates, contractors and all.

Hei picked up his phone and memorized the number. To hell with Huang's orders. He had enough of orders. He would do what he liked when he liked. And right now, he felt like keeping in constant contact with this human that had managed to make him feel safe.

* * *

_**This chapter sounds lame, doesn't it? Please comment and let me know what all you readers think about this fanfic so far! Thanks! ^^**_


	6. Chapter 6: Trust

Merry Christmas, everybody!

This chapter will be my Christmas present to you readers before I go off on a short holiday! XD

* * *

**Chapter 6: Trust**

Amber stood looking out a window. She felt the air stir behind her and turned to see Brita and a girl with middle-length black hair appear in the room. She smiled at the girl, running towards her, saying in a very childish voice, "Hua!" She hugged the girl. Hua looked down at Amber, not believing that this girl who looked like she was in her teens was actually Amber.

"Amber, have you been using your powers again?" Hua asked. She returned the hug.

"I have to," Amber said, moving back to look up at Hua. "You seem taller to me now. That should make you happy, right? Since I was always taller than you."

"Of course, Amber…" Hua murmured.

Amber giggled and then skipped away. She sat in a chair, smiling. There was a knock on the door and a small boy entered. He held a two bathrobes in his arms. He handed them to Hua and Brita before going over to Amber's side. Hua wore the bathrobe and said, "A new addition, Amber?"

"I found Maki while I was in America," Amber replied. "I could not leave him there to starve, could I?" Hua shrugged.

"Did you want to see me for something?" Hua asked.

"I am not happy that you have gone against my orders," Amber said, jumping off the chair and walking about the room. "Neither am I happy about your reply to my orders that Brita told me. Something very bad could have happened to you if Hei was not in a hurry." Amber placed a hand on the wounded part of Hua's stomach. Hua winced. Already a week had passed. But the wound still throbbed with pain. Maybe she had underestimated how deep he had managed to cut her.

"I am still standing here in one piece, right?" Hua pushed Amber away. "It shows that I am alright."

"It shows that you were lucky this time," Amber retorted. "Listen to me the next time I send out people to tell you what I think." Amber reached up and touched Hua's face. "Your brother told me to look after you. If anything happened to you, do you think your brother would be happy with me? Hua, you are like a little sister to me. I can't bear it if anything happened to you. Listen to me next time, ok?"

"I will think about it…" Hua muttered. "Other than reprimanding me, is there anything else you have to say?"

"Yes. Hua, there is something I need you to do for me…"

* * *

Hei heard something land on the metal railing outside the window of the room he rented. He limped over to the window, wincing from the pain. Then, he opened the window and saw Mao sitting on the railing. It had been a week since he had last heard from Mao. So, he was surprised and relieved when he saw Mao sitting on the railing.

"Where have you been, Mao?" Hei asked. "How come we didn't hear anything from you since the past one week?"

"Because you guys decided to leave me behind!" Mao said, shaking water and leaves from his fur. "Do you know how many times I nearly ended up in some animal's stomach?"

"We thought you had already gone home…"

"Well, I had not!" Mao stretched out one leg and started cleaning himself. "Some girl decided to knock me unconscious." Hei hummed and looked over the roofs of certain houses, seeing the wall that was around Hell's Gate.

Suddenly, he heard Mao gasp and saw Mao sit up straight. Hei asked, "What's wrong, Mao?"

"The girl!" Mao said, looking at Hei. "Hei, do you still have the picture of the girl the syndicate sent you after? Show it to me!"

Hei nodded and took out the photo from his pocket, showing it to Mao. Mao looked at it and said, "That's her! That's the girl who hit me! Only that she looked much older, skinnier too… and her hair was cut short." He looked at Hei. "She was watching you, Hei! And I think she can control plants. The guy who released those observer spirits had earth in his chest wound, right? I think she killed him by using a plant."

"Well… Huang did say he had aimed at the contractor's hand and not at his chest…"

"Hei, I think you had better be careful from now on. If it's you she's after, she can kill you easily."

Hei frowned, thinking back about the events that had happened on that day. Then, he asked, "Did she have any cut around her abdomen?"

Mao blinked, trying to remember what he had seen. "Well… She had a piece of cloth tied around her stomach area. Why?"

"I fought with her in the jungle just before I went after Yin. She gave me this." Hei gestured to his bandaged leg. "While I managed to injure her. I have never met someone as skilled with swords as her…" Hei wondered whether he should tell Mao about what had happened during a recent assignment. After all, he had not even told Huang the truth, choosing to lie for that masked girl's sake.

"Which makes it all the more reason to why you should avoid her at all costs! We will have to double the search for her. I will find Yin and see whether she has managed to find any girl that looks like our target." Mao leapt off the railing, onto the wall and bounded off. Hei watched as he disappeared and decided that it was best that nobody knew the truth just yet.

* * *

_"I need you to be on a lookout around this area," Amber said, pointing to an area on the map. "Maki and I have something very important to retrieve from inside this building. We can't let anything go wrong. Silence any guards that try to call out for help. Is that alright with you?"_

_ "I will be fine with it," Hua grunted. "But what is it you are going to retrieve?"_

_ "Something important," Amber said. "Be sure to be there at this time tomorrow. We are counting on you."_

_Yeah, sure… It is important work… _Hua thought. She hid inside an empty building next to the targeted one. From her position at the second story of the building, she could see two men patrolling the grounds, unaware of what was going on inside. She could understand Amber's reluctance to let her join the team that was infiltrating the building. After all, would anyone put their trust in their subordinate who refused to obey orders unless they wanted to?

A movement in the upper window of the building caught her attention. She looked up and saw Amber waving down at her, gesturing for her to move from the building. Hua nodded and left the building. Amber had warned her that when they had already obtained the object safely, Hua was to move to a second location.

_"There will be a woman who will get into a cab and try to chase Maki and me," Amber said. "I need you to stop the taxi. Prevent it from moving or something! You can let it move to the front a little but not pass the zebra crossing, ok?"_

Hua ran towards the area where Amber had said she should go, hiding in a deserted alley. She watched as Maki and Amber stood at the side of the road, waiting for someone. Hua saw a flash of pink and looked to see a woman running towards Amber and Maki. At that moment, a black car with tinted windows pulled up beside the road. Maki touched the post nearby before getting into the car with Amber.

As the car drove off, Hua saw the woman in pink pull out a cell phone, talking rapidly into it. She flagged down a cab and got into it. Hua raised her hand and did a twirling motion. Green sprouts appeared from the sewers and went up into the engine of the car. Suddenly, the wound at her stomach begin to throb painfully. She stopped and dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach.

_"When you think you have done enough, get out of there," _Amber's voice said._ "Go far away from there. But not back to your home. Whatever you do, don't go back to your house! Ok?"_

Hua got to her feet, taking deep breaths. She quickly walked away from there. She would go where she wanted to. She didn't need Amber telling her to go else place. Besides, she needed to rest. And what better way to rest other than to go back home? She was a few blocks away when she heard the explosion. _So that's why Amber decided to recruit Maki… _she thought to herself as she walked slowly back to her apartment.

* * *

Maki clutched the necklace tightly as he ran back towards the hideout. He entered the place, walking slowly into the underground pub that had been deserted a few months ago. Members of the Evening Primrose occasionally used the place when they needed to. Maki saw Amagiri sitting at the bar.

"What were you thinking of going back there?" Amagiri asked.

"I dropped something important…" Maki said. "It got blown away during the explosion and caught in a tree…" He sat down in one of the chairs at a table. "Amagiri, I met a very interesting person. He was very nice to me. It was strange… He gave me an odd feeling…"

Amagiri looked at the boy. "Who was he?"

"I don't know…"

"Where you followed?"

"It's alright."

Amagiri took a sip from his glass of drink. "Let's go. It's time we carry out the second phase of our plan."

"Where's Amber?"

"She went looking for the final key."

"Why can't I go with her?"

"Because Amber said so."

At that moment, the door to the underground pub opened. Amagiri and Maki looked to see a woman clad in black with two swords strapped to her back come stumbling down the stairs. She looked like she was in pain. She looked up and said, "Amagiri…" Before she collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

"Hua!" Amagiri exclaimed, rushing over to her. He turned her over. When he lifted his hand from her waist, Maki could see that it was stained red. Amagiri turned pale when he saw her blood on his hand and felt for her pulse at her neck. He sighed in relief when he felt her heart beat. He saw her eyes flutter open and asked, "What happened?"

"Syndicate… My home…" Hua murmured. "They… were outside…"

"Did they see you?" Amagiri asked.

"No… I left…" Hua tried to keep her eyes open. "Before… before…" She slipped back into unconsciousness.

"I will go ahead first," Maki said. "I need to leave my prints before I can do anything. Come as soon as you hear the first explosion. I will meet you at the second location." Maki left the place.

Amagiri lifted Hua from the ground and then placed her on the only couch in the place. He unstrapped the two swords from Hua's back, leaning them against the couch. He took out his cell phone and called Brita, telling her about Hua's condition. Then, he left the place. He needed to fulfill the mission Amber had given him. He would come back and see Hua later on.


	7. Chapter 7: A Valuable Ally

Hi hi! I am back from my holiday with another chapter! Enjoy reading! ^^

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Valuable Ally**

"The syndicate!" Hua gasped and sat up.

"Wow…" Brita said. "Those were the last words I expected to hear from someone who just returned from the dead."

"I did not die!" Hua hissed. She looked about the place, confused about where she was until she remembered what had happened. "Brita-"

"I moved most of your stuff," Brita said. "They are back at base. I only took the things that seemed like they could reveal your true identity. After all, the syndicate were only acting on rumors. They have no confirmed leads."

"Where's Amagiri?"

"He left an hour ago. He and Maki should be back soon. They are bringing someone who might be a valuable addition to our organization."

"I had better go then." Hua picked up her swords. "Thanks anyways."

"Amber says she would prefer if you return to base with me."

"I have things to do. I am sorry…" She grabbed her swords and left the place.

* * *

Hua stopped in her tracks, hearing the sound of explosion coming from nearby. It was close to where Amber said she would be meeting Li. Or in this case, the contractor named Hei. She needed to get there. But first, she had to investigate the sound. She couldn't let either Amber or Li be in trouble.

Then, she heard another explosion. She ran towards the sound, rounding a corner. She stopped when she saw Maki there and three other people. One of them was a cop while the other two were MI6 agents. _Why are they here?_ Hua wondered, hiding behind a car. She saw Maki run off, noticing that the little boy looked upset about something. When she saw the cop pull out a gun, Hua wanted to run towards her to help Maki. But the MI6 agent said something to the cop and the cop ran off towards where Li and Amber were suppose to meet up. Hua wanted to run after her but then she thought about Maki.

_He can take care of himself! Now find Li and Amber before the cop gets to them!_ her head told her. She leapt through the trees pass the cop, making sure she could not be seen by the cop. She saw Li standing at the top of a hill. She smiled in a relief and ran through the trees uphill. She could not let him see her like this. Not yet anyway.

She saw Li standing before Amber, looking very angry. He had a strange look in his eyes. Like he wanted to kill Amber. Then, he started glowing blue, like how any contractor would when using their powers. She ran towards them, wanting to stop Li. She ignored the cop that had appeared at that time with her gun pointed at Li's back. The doll Yin also told him to stop while Amagiri raised his palm and aimed it at Li.

Then, she saw Amber and Amagiri standing in front of her. She looked about her, seeing time stop, as it was Amber's power. Amber asked, "Do you want to come with me? Or would you stay here and help Hei?" Hua looked at Li and at the cop that had the gun aimed at his back. She noticed the drops of blood that was on the ground.

"He is bleeding… And he looks like he is going to collapse…" Hua murmured. "Can you take Yin to safety? I will bring Li… I mean Hei, back to where he is staying."

"As you wish," Amber said, turning around and going back to Yin. She tapped Yin's forehead and Yin was able to move. She went back to Hua with Yin, holding out the mask that Hua always wore and a small pouch from the bag she had. Hua took them from her. "You know what to do, right? I will send Brita to find you as soon as I need you. Rest once you get home. You are not going to heal if you continue fighting in that sort of condition. I will send you some money whenever you need to buy things." She, Amagiri and Yin walked pass her. "Hua, this contractor was sent to kill you. The syndicate wants you dead so they sent him. And also because of him, you will die. Think carefully about your next move. Good bye, Hua." Then, they left her.

Hua wore on the mask and then walked over to the cop, pulling the cop's glasses off and putting it on top of her head. Then, Hua held onto Li's hand. As soon as Amber released everyone from her power, she dragged Li off into the woods.

* * *

"Why are you here?" Hei demanded. "Are you working for Amber?"

"Even if I am, so what?" the figure asked. "I am saving you from being arrested by the cop. Once you get arrested and your identity as a contractor exposed, you will never be able to go back to the life you once had. The syndicate will exterminate you." Soon, she stopped dragging him. "Sit down and let me have a look at your wound."

Hei reluctantly sat down, letting her look at it. "Who are you? Why are you helping me?"

"I am just an average contractor," she said. "Of course, like you, I have no price to pay for using my power. And I am helping you because… You are just someone I felt like helping."

"What's is your name?"

"Hua." Hei fell silent. This was the contractor the syndicate had sent him after! "You were ordered by the syndicate to kill me, right?" Again, he did not say anything. Hua reached into a pouch she had been holding, pulling out a small plastic packet of powder and shaking bit by bit of the powder onto his wound. "I know you were sent to kill me. Amber just told me that. I am not surprised that the syndicate would want to get rid of me. After all, why have a powerful contractor around when one can't control the said contractor?"

"If you knew I was sent to kill you, then why help me? Are you trying to bargain for your life by saving the life of the hunter?"

"Not really… I know that I will be killed one day by someone from the syndicate. Though who, I won't know." She bandaged the wound, standing up. "Come on. We have a longer way to go."

Hei got up, putting one arm around Hua's shoulder as she helped him limp down the hill. It felt as if his body was becoming lighter and lighter. His eyes drooped shut. He looked at Hua and noticing that she had been watching him. He asked, "Did you just poison me? What was in that powder?"

"The herb would heal your wound fast," Hua answered. "But the side effects would be that it would make you sleep."

Hei reached up and yanked the mask off Hua's face as he slowly lost consciousness. He thought he saw Celine's surprised face looking down at him and felt himself sink into her sapphire blue eyes as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Mao paced up and down Hei's apartment. Yin had just arrived back at the tobacco shop she manned and said something about Hei to him. Huang had also just gone back after recovering from the shock Hei had given him, cursing Hei all the way. Mao heard Hei's door being opened and was about to call out to Hei when he noticed that the footsteps sounded different.

He saw the door open and saw a girl half carrying, half dragging Hei into the apartment. The girl looked at him and Mao realized that this was the same girl who had knocked him unconscious the other day. His fur stood on ends as he hissed. But the girl ignored him, slowly lowering Hei to the floor.

"Where does he keep his futon?" the girl asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Mao demanded.

"Do you want me to search through every single cupboard then?" the girl growled.

"It's in that cupboard," Mao said, walking over to Hei as the girl went over to the said cupboard and took out the futon, laying it carefully on the floor. "What happened to Hei?"

"He was losing too much blood," the girl answered. "I poured some powder on his wound that would heal him as well as make him sleep. He needs lost of rest to recover." She lifted him, dragged him across the floor and placed him on the bed. Mao smelled something metallic on her as she passed him and saw something drop onto the floor as she walked pass.

"You are bleeding yourself. Aren't you going to treat your wound?"

"I will as soon as I get home." She tucked Hei into the bed and then opened the single window in the room. "Take care of him for me." Then, before Mao's eyes, he saw her shrink and change into a small white bird before taking off. Mao frowned. It was impossible for a contractor to have two different powers. Was this why the syndicate wanted her dead? Whatever it was, the girl proved to be a valuable ally even if she was against the syndicate.


	8. Chapter 8: Falling In Love

Hey, people!

Happy New Year! XD

* * *

**Chapter 8: Falling In Love**

Hei stood in front of the stove, cooking breakfast for himself. Only a day had passed and his leg was completely healed. He remembered how he had woken up in his rented room after the drug-like effect of the herbal powder had worn off. He had seen Mao sitting on the ground beside him, cleaning himself. When he had asked Mao how he had gotten home, all Mao said was that a girl had brought him back and nothing else. He tried to recall what he had seen before he had blacked out. All he knew was that he pulled off the mask from girl's face. But he could not recall any of her facial features. He sighed in frustration. An opportunity lost.

Hei set his breakfast on the table and was about to cook more food when he heard someone knock on the door. He opened it and was surprised to see Celine standing outside. She was carrying a few bags of food and said, "Hi! I was thinking that maybe we could have breakfast together?" Then, she looked over his shoulder and noticed the few dishes that were on the table. "But it looks like you have already cooked for yourself…"

"Well… I was going to cook more food for myself," Hei said. "Since I eat more than that amount. But you brought just the right amount of food I was thinking of cooking and slightly more."

"Really? So, I can join you?"

"Um… Sure…" He opened the door wider to let her in. She entered and looked about the place. Hei knew what she would be thinking. That his home was too bare. Maybe he should get a painting? Or two? He watched as Celine bounded towards the table, setting the bags on the table and unpacking them.

"I am not sure whether you would enjoy Italian food or whether you prefer having Asian food," Celine said. "So, I just packed what I could. Not all the shops are open so early in the morning. So, there was not much variety… But I did manage to get a slice of really good cheesecake from this bakery near my old workplace!" Hei walked over to her and stood behind her, his body pressed against her back. "Li…?"

"Why hang out with a person like me?" Hei asked. "Aren't you afraid that I may be a serial killer? That I may just kill you at any moment?"

"No…" Celine replied. "I am not afraid of you. My instincts tell me that you are a good person and I trust on my instincts in order to survive." She turned to face him, looking at up at him. " Besides, you don't look like a killer. You don't even look like you enjoy killing anyone. At least not innocent people that is." Hei smiled at what she had said and she demanded, "What's so funny? I am telling you the truth!"

She pushed pass him and went over to the sink with a bag of fruits. "You are weird, you know that? Asking such a question out of the blue! Gosh! Can't you ask normal questions like what's your favorite colour or what do you like to eat? You really need to brush up on your people's skill." Hei watched as she furiously scrubbed at an apple.

"I guess I am not really that good at communicating with people…" Hei murmured, helping her unpack the rest of the things. "Don't you have work today?"

"Fanny is busy looking after her son. That kid is always up to no good! Just recently, he decided to eat some berries from a bush that Fanny said was poisonous. So, he's back in the hospital again. Geez! At this rate, I will have to find another job so that I can keep my apartment." She came over to the table with a plate of apples cut into bunny shapes.

Hei blinked when he saw them, picking one up from the plate. It was then that Celine realized what she had done and said, "Oh! I am so sorry! I just cut apples from habit… My brother used to love eating apples like this… He always begged me to cut them this way…"

"It's alright," Hei said. "They look… cute. Let's eat! Everything looks delicious!"

* * *

"So, what happened to your brother?" Li asked, drying the wet dishes that Hua handed to him. "You speak about him as if he is gone."

"Well… He is…" Hua murmured, passing him another dish. "Five years ago, we were at South America. He was caught in the fight before Heaven's Gate vanished…" Hua felt tears well up in her eyes and she looked down at the dishes she was washing, trying to hold them in. "I told him not go without me. I always knew how to watch his back. But he went anyway, leaving me behind. When I found him, he was dying." She felt her tears slide down her face.

She felt Li turn her to face him before pulling her close. She sobbed into her shoulder, all the sadness, rage and grief she had held back for so long. She released them there and then. After awhile, she calmed down and gently pushed Li away, wiping away the rest of her tears with her hands. She said in a shaky voice, "Dear me… I must be a fool to be crying when I am not a child anymore. Let's finish cleaning up. You have work, right?" She turned back to the sink and begin washing the dishes.

"Yes," Li said.

After awhile, they were done. Hua went to get her handbag and coat. She opened the door and was about to let herself out when Li grabbed her arm. She looked up at him, surprised at his action. He said, "If you ever feel like you want to talk to someone, call me or come here. I will always be here and I am always willing to lend an ear." He met her eyes. "You look like you have been through a lot. I wouldn't mind being there for you whenever you need someone."

"Okay…" Hua said, blinking.

"Take care, Celine," Li said, hugging her briefly. "I will see you around then."

"Um… Bye then…" Hua murmured, leaving. There was a smile on her lips as she exited the place. She walked a little further and then stopped in front of an alley, the smile slipping from her lips. "What are doing here, Amagiri? Did Amber ask you to come?"

"No," the man said, stepping out from the alley. "I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you were safe."

"How did you know I was here? I am pretty certain you didn't follow me all the way from my house."

"No. I did not. Though I did go to your house before coming here. A lucky guess you might say."

"If you are done with your checking, I suggest you go." Hua took a step forward but Amagiri stopped her.

"You do know that that man you just saw is suppose to kill you, right?"

"Yes, Amber told me."

"Then why are you still seeing him? Amber said that because of him, you would die. Do you want to die? Cause I sure as hell won't want you to die!"

Hua looked at him, glaring at him. "So what if I do die? Everyone has to die sooner or later. It doesn't matter to me. I will just keep seeing Li until the day I die. If that is all you have to say, Amagiri, I suggest you go. You should know that I will do what I want when I want."

"As you wish." Amagiri turned around and walked back into the alley. He looked over his shoulder and said, "I am just concerned about you, kid. Falling in love with that contractor is not going to do you any good. Trust me on that." Then, he disappeared from view. Hua huffed and walked off. She was not a baby anymore. And she wished everyone would know that!

* * *

Hei looked at the clothes in the store, wondering which size would be suitable for the doll he had in his home. He probably shouldn't have helped that kid… Then, he would not be in this mess. He had been tempted to call Celine and ask her for help. But it didn't seem right to drag her into his problems. He might put her life at stake at any moment and he could not do that to her.

He grabbed what he thought would fit the doll and headed over to the cashier, paying for his things. He wondered how Celine was doing. It had been two days since he last saw her and she had called only once. He paid for the clothes and then grabbed the bag they were in, heading over to the exit. Had she found a new job already? Maybe he should give her a call soon… He headed over to the underwear section, frowning.

What should he get for the doll? Picking out outer garments were much easier compared to picking out undergarments. He picked out one, thinking that this may fit the doll when he felt someone press something into his back. He heard the person, a lady, say, "Don't move. Turn towards me slowly." He obeyed what the lady said, wondering what he had done wrong this time round.

"Li…?" the lady said. Hei frowned, remembering he had seen this woman somewhere before. Then, he remembered where he had seen her and said, "Chief Kirihara, right? Long time no see."

"It really has been awhile. How have you been, Li?" She looked at what he was holding and he followed her line of gaze.

"Um…" Hei said, wondering how he should explain himself. At that moment, a brown haired girl hurried up to Chief Kirihara. His mind wandered off to other things before going back to what he was looking for. A few minutes later, he was paying for the items before leaving the shop. When Chief Kirihara and her friend asked about the clothes he had bought, he quickly told them a lie.

Then, he said, "I have to go now." And walked off. He had to make sure that nobody had discovered Kenji or the doll. He admired Kenji a little. For being able to fall in love so easily with someone he had never met before or who could not even talk. For Hei, falling in love had never been easy. Especially after the fake sky appeared. His whole life had always revolved around his sister. Now, it revolved around him doing his job as well as what felt right for him. He had no time to fall in love. Not yet anyway…


	9. Chapter 9: Mao's Entertainment

I know I am late by a few days, so sorry! XD

Anyways, hope you guys would enjoy the updates and please do comment!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Mao's Entertainment**

"Thanks for buying those flowers from Rosie's Flower Shop!" Hua said as the man took the bouquet from her. "Do come back and buy more! Oh! And for this entire month, delivery is free! So make sure you come by and order more flowers."

"Of course," the man said, handing Hua some money for the bouquet of flowers. Hua took the money and then walked back to her scooter.

She placed the money into the black pouch she wore around her waist and then got onto the scooter, starting up the engine. She was about to drive off when a silver haired girl stood in front of her scooter. She looked at the girl about to scold her for standing in front of a vehicle without saying anything when she recognized who it was.

"Yin, right?" Hua asked. She could not stop the jealousy she felt of the girl's relationship with Hei seep into her words. "Is there something you need?"

"Hei…" Yin murmured. "I need to see Hei." She looked up at Hua. "Can you take me to him?"

"I don't know who you are talking about…" Hua muttered.

"The man you know as Li. Can you take me to his home? I need to see him. It is an emergency."

Hua sighed. "Fine. Get on." She handed Yin a helmet. "Know how to put this on?" Yin nodded, wearing it. Once Hua was sure the doll was seated comfortably, she took off. Soon, they were in front of the place where Li stayed. Yin got off, removing and handing the helmet back to Hua. She bowed a little, as if to say thanks, before heading off towards Li's room. Hua watched her disappear into Li's room before driving off.

She was jealous of how close Yin was to Li. But Yin was a doll and obviously she would be able to see more than what Hua was able to see. Hua sighed. She wished she could do more for Hei than what she could do now. She wished she could tell him who she really was. But it did not seem like the best idea… If he knew, would he still want to be friends with her? Or even more than that? Hua doubt he would take that piece of information nicely. So, it was best she just sit in a corner and watch for the moment. Help him when she could.

She went back to the shop, working for a couple more hours before deciding to go home. As soon as she got back to her apartment (that had been left unchanged by the syndicate members who had gone through her things), she took a bath and then went to sleep.

* * *

_Celine sobbed in a corner, clutching her sprained hand to her chest. She hated being an orphan! Why did her parents abandon her and Cedric? Why? She hated everyone! If she could, she would make all of them pay! Her parents. Those bullies! The teachers! Even the other orphans that were in the same orphanage as her!_

_ "Celine…?" She looked up to see Cedric standing just outside the storeroom. She ran towards him, hugging him tightly. All that mattered to her was Cedric. Nobody else did but him! She felt him caress her hair gently. "Did they hurt you again?" She didn't need to answer to know that he knew the truth. "I am going to kill them!"_

_ "Then they would kill you!" Celine said, looking up at Cedric. "Ignore them, Cedric. I would prefer that you are safe and beside me all the time. Besides, I am fine. They only sprained my hand. That's all." She buried her face in his shoulder, crying silently. Shou continued patting her hair._

_ The very next day, Celine saw the tensed look on Cedric's face. Even though he did not say anything, she knew he was up to something. During recess, while she was eating lunch alone under a tree, she suddenly felt fearful. She stood up, dropping her lunch box onto the ground. She looked about wildly before realizing that what she was feeling was actually coming from Cedric. _

_She followed the mental link she had with her brother. She climbed over the school fence and went out of the school. She needed to find Cedric. She felt the link become stronger and looked into a dark alley. She saw the bullies beating up her brother, who tried to fight back but failed._

"_Stay away from him!" Celine shouted at them, rushing at the nearest boy. He easily swiped her aside and she knocked her head on the side of a nearby dumpster, nearly knocked unconscious._

"_Leave her alone!" Cedric growled, grabbing the leg of the boy that had knocked Hua. The boy kicked him in the face as easily as he would kick a football. He said something to his friends, who laughed. The boy then walked over to Celine and pulled her upwards by her long braid. He spat in her face, calling her names while his friends continued beating Cedric._

_Suddenly, it was as though time slowed down. All she could see was Cedric's face twisted in agony. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, they glowed red. The boy released her in surprise and stumbled away. Her entire body started glowing blue as she advanced on the boy. She lifted one hand and a green sprout emerged from the ground. When she clenched her hand, it wrapped around the boy's neck, squeezing him. He choked and called out to his friends, who tried to help him but could not. They threw things at her, trying to distract her, but couldn't. Then, one of them kicked her in the stomach, making her collapse to the ground from the pain._

_Celine heard a roar and looked up to see a tiger that had red eyes, standing where Cedric had been lying down. It leapt at the boys. They ran off, two of them carrying their fallen comrade. Celine watched as the tiger transformed back into Cedric who rushed over to her side. She saw his mouth move but could not make out the words. Her eyes slowly closed as she fell into a black abyss._

Hua gasped, sitting up. She took in deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. She felt someone watching her and turned to her left, seeing a black cat sitting down on the floor. She glared at it, wondering how this contractor had managed to enter her safe haven. Even wondering how he had managed to find out where she lived!

"I didn't think it was you at first when I saw you at a florist," the cat spoke. "But when I saw Yin stop you, that was when I knew it had to be you. Didn't think that you actually held a real job in the human world."

"Doesn't Hei do that as well?" Hua asked, getting up and moving over to the kitchen area. She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, taking deep gulps from it, emptying the bottle in a minute.

"Well… Most of Hei's jobs are tied to the jobs the syndicate gives us."

She sat at the table, watching the cat. "Why are you here, kitty? Did the syndicate rush you to complete the job of killing me?"

"Like I would care with what the syndicate wants. I would just do what I consider to be the more rational option when possible. After awhile, when I get bored, I would sit back and watch a few interesting contractors work. I had only one contractor that was amusing to me until I met you." The cat jumped onto the kitchen table so that they were now at eye contact with each other. "You and Hei are similar in many ways and different in a few. But still amusing to me."

"Anything else you would like to share with me other than telling me that I am to be your new source of entertainment?"

"Hmm… Hei is currently helping a guy named Kenji to leave the country with a doll he, Kenji, 'saved'. A group from a mafia gang owns the doll and are involved in human trafficking. Or in this case, doll trafficking. They are currently headed for the train station."

"And you are telling me because…?"

"Thought you would be interested to know."

The cat jumped from the table and padded over to her open window, jumping onto the sill and then out the window. Hua sighed and then dumped the empty bottle into the sink. She would wash it and fill it up when she got back later. Now, she had other things to do thanks to that cat.

* * *

Hua tugged her cap low over her eyes, watching as a group of men ran past her. She could see that they had guns on them and was careful to keep her distance as she followed them. They should be the ones the cat spoke about. If her guess was correct, they would lead her to Li. She looked further ahead and saw Li and the doll, Yin disappearing around the corner into what looked like the way to the staff entrance.

She watched as the group of men and another group of men follow them. She looked about the place. She hated buildings. Especially new ones like the train station. There aren't many wild plants that grow about. No moss or dandelions. Nothing much she could use unless she forced them to grow out from under the building. She peeped about the corner and watched as Li and Yin disappeared down a stairwell, locking the door behind them.

One of the men pressed the elevator button while the others hammered on the door. Hua closed her eyes and cast her mind about, feeling for any plant that might be nearby. She felt a single spark coming from the elevator shaft, right at the bottom. _You had better grow fast then!_ Hua thought, making the plant grow. She felt it brush against something metallic. _Hmm… Oh well! Let the maintenance workers deal with the problem later._ She curled the plant through the entire mechanism until she was sure the elevator would not move at all. She quickly left the place, knowing she should hurry after Li, Yin and the other two, who were with them.

* * *

Mao followed Yin and Hei until they emerged from the car park. Then, he turned around another corner and saw Hua running towards him. Once he was sure that she had seen him, he followed after Yin and Hei. He was sure she would follow him. He saw Yin and Hei enter a deserted warehouse and decided to stay outside and enjoy the show.

"Having fun already?" Hua asked as she knelt down beside Mao. Mao could see that she had dropped the cap and wig she had worn earlier and was now wearing a mask instead.

"No swords this time?" Mao asked.

"Can't mingle in the crowd with them. Where's Li… I mean Hei and Yin?"

"Inside. I prefer to watch the action from a safe distance rather than get caught in it. Unless I am needed of course."

"You are a lazy cat…"

"That's what most people tell me. Going in to join them?"

"You don't have to ask me a second time." Hua pulled a dagger from its sheath that was strapped to her leg. "Enjoy the action though. Doubt I would need you in there, kitty."

"The name's Mao…" Mao muttered. He hated the word 'kitty' a lot. He watched as Hua entered the building. Then, he got up and walked off. He just remembered that he had something else to do for the moment. Pity he wouldn't get to see the entertainment at all.

* * *

Hua looked about at all the huge cargo containers in the warehouse and shivered. They reminded her of the one time she and Shou were forced to travel across the ocean in such a container to make sure that something the syndicate wanted arrived at its destination. Shou had been afraid of confined places after that single mission.

Hua heard the sound of voices and then someone being kicked. She hurried over to the sound but stopped when Yin stepped into the middle of her path. She growled at the doll, "Move aside!"

"No," Yin said, her voice emotionless. "Amber told me to tell you this. She came to see me this morning. But told me I was only allowed to tell you what I have to say to you now. She needs you to go back to base. There are important things she wants you to do. Go! Hei can handle things here perfectly." From where Yin emerged from, Amagiri appeared.

"Let's go, kid," Amagiri said. "Amber needs you back at base. We have other things to do now. There are a lot of things we need to prepare in order that the syndicate does not succeed in what they tried to do to Heaven's Gate five years ago."

Hua clenched her fist and then sighed in defeat, following Amagiri. She hated following people's orders but she didn't have much of a choice this time. The end was near and she was needed to replace the position her brother filled in the incident at Heaven's Gate.


	10. Chapter 10: Caught

I will be taking sometime to update the fic.

I have my studies to focus on now.

So, please be patient! :)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Caught**

Hua followed Amagiri into the room. She hated being in any sort of religious place. Especially a place that housed a cult. She had never believed in God. Anything that happened to men was because of their own mistakes. Nothing more than that. But she had to hold her tongue here as the people in that place seemed like real fanatics. She couldn't believe that the gentle Alma she had known could convert these people into fanatics in just a few months.

"Stay here," Amagiri ordered as another door ahead opened. "I will call you inside once we are done discussing. Don't do anything that could get you into trouble." Amagiri went through the door. Hua rolled her eyes. God! He still treated her like a child. She tuck her black hair behind one ear. Her hair had grown longer. She had to remember to cut it short again once the mission was over and done with.

She walked around the circular room, examining the different details etched into the wall. She wished she could go back to her apartment soon. She wanted to see Li. Already a few days had passed since she had gone back to base and she was liking it less and less. She was not even allowed to call anyone using her mobile phone in case the call was traced back to base. Amber had noticed her anger at being dragged back to base and had promised Hua that she could go back once this mission was over.

"Hua," Hua looked to see Amagiri standing at the door. "Come in. Alma wants to see you." Hua blinked and went over to the door, entering the room. The room had a single bed across from the door. There were no windows in the room. Lots and lots of candles sat on opened surfaces, a strange lavender scent filled the air. In the bed, lay a young woman that looked a lot like Alma. She had not looked as if she had aged a day since the time they met six years ago on the same mission the syndicate had given them. "I will leave you two alone." Amagiri went out, closing the door.

"Hua, isn't it?" Alma murmured.

"Yes, ma'am," Hua said, bowing slightly.

"You look different," Alma said softly. "I know you would have grown up. But what I meant by looking different is by the emotion in your eyes. You know, as a contractor, you always were different. Maybe it is because you got your powers through different circumstances as what the rest of us have? Emotions are rare for a contractor, Hua. But you… You and your brother always had emotions. Such love and devotion between both of you. I guess it must have been difficult for you when you lost him. I see the hurt written in your eyes. But there is still love there. Has someone been able to fill the space your brother left behind in your heart when he moved on?"

"That is only for me to know, Alma," Hua replied. "And you to find out."

Alma chuckled. "You are still the same stubborn girl." Then, before Hua's eyes, she saw Alma suddenly grow older, aging until she looked like she was a fifty year old lady. Alma noticed the disbelief in Hua's eyes and said, "My price. Every time I use my power, I age, Hua." Alma slowly got off the bed. "Enough of this small chat, Amagiri has requested that I let you stay here for some time to guard me. I have a uniform prepared for you as well as a room. Make yourself comfortable while you are here. But don't stir up any trouble while you here."

Hua felt someone's eyes on her back and turned to see a girl about her age, standing there. Alma said, "Kelly is a contractor as well. She is my second-in-command. She will help you whenever you need her to. You may go." Hua followed Kelly out of the room, feeling like a dog. She noticed that Amagiri had already gone off, most probably back to base.

Hua noted down the buildings on a map she drew in her mind. She couldn't afford to get lost in this place. Especially if a situation arises. She hated the enclosed rooms that did not have any windows. Not enough space for her to swing her swords without scraping along the side of the walls. Even though they were in the middle of a jungle, but the buildings were built out of concrete and metal, making it hard for Hua to sense any plant life through them. Also, there were not many plants in the buildings for her to use should she need to use her power.

"Here is your room," Kelly said. Hua noted that that part of the compound seemed empty, almost deserted. "This place is mostly for high priestesses of the new faith as well as Alma's visitors. So there are not many people who would live here. Supper will be at nine. Don't be late or you won't get anything. Make sure you wear the uniform. A second one will be sent to your room tomorrow." Kelly bowed and then left.

Hua watched the girl walk off before shrugging and entering the room. She smiled, noticing the windows in the room. She could see the clear sky up there and wished that the moon and real stars still existed. That view would be nice since she would be able to lie in bed and watch them.

Hua looked at her watch. It was only 8pm. She had an hour before going for supper. She changed into her black clothes and then wore on her mask. She needed to patrol the ground for awhile and map out the place in her mind. According to Amagiri, the syndicate would be sending someone to infiltrate the place. She needed to protect Alma as well as a certain building, that Amagiri had pointed out on their way in. _One me doing two jobs at the same time… Amagiri is really over estimating me…_ Hua thought.

* * *

Hei looked down at his phone for the third time. He forgot how many times he had checked his phone and how many times he wanted to call her but decided not to at the last minute. Celine had not called him for some time already and not dropped by to visit him. Had he scared her with what he had asked her? He hoped not. He couldn't lose this girl who had managed to make him feel safe. He wanted that feeling again. The feeling he had lost so long ago. He got up and strode towards the door. Maybe he should try looking for her.

"Where are you going, Hei?" Mao asked, appearing at the window. "Come one. Huang wants to meet us."

Hei looked at his phone and then at Mao, looking between the both. Then, he sighed. Celine would be safe for awhile. The sooner he finished the job, the sooner he can start looking for Celine. He wondered where she could be and hoped that she would be safe and was doing well.

* * *

Hua was the last to enter the room. She sat on the seat appointed for her, murmuring a soft apology to the other sisters there. She had been patrolling the area and had lost track of time. Amagiri had stopped by to tell her that the syndicate had sent in their contractor a little earlier. She had to make sure that the building was safe and so was Alma. Every time Hua went to visit Alma, they would talk together and Hua would notice the changes the contractor was going through. The contractor looked as if she was growing weaker each passing day and although Hua had told her to stop using her powers, Alma had refused to listen.

Hua opened the devotion book, reading a paragraph from a page in the book that a devotee told her to read. Her mind drifted elsewhere, wondering who the syndicate had sent. Soon, they were done and she rose to her feet, letting the others go first before she went out slowly. After having a quick dinner, she walked among the new 'believers'. She knew she would never be able to find the contractor in such a crowd, but she still wanted to try.

Suddenly, she saw him, standing in a corner, talking to one of the believers that was higher up. She frowned. Was this who the syndicate decided to send in? She remembered what Mao had said. That any job Li took was because it was tied to a mission the syndicate had given him. She saw him turn to look at her, as if he had felt her eyes on him. She quickly turned and walked off, deciding that it was best if she made sure she never would run into him again.

* * *

"What are you looking at?" Shihoko asked.

"Nothing…" Hei blinked. His eyes could have been mistaken. Celine could not be here. She shouldn't be. She did not look like the type to believe such pathetic things. And this girl had slightly long black hair. Not short brown hair that Celine had. He must be seeing things after not seeing him for some time.

"Get your game up tomorrow," Shihoko said. "We move in then. I will see you tomorrow. Remember the place I pointed out to you and don't go sneaking around. I saw a figure a day or two ago patrolling the grounds. Looks like Alma has suspected that an attack would happen."

"Maybe, maybe not," Hei murmured. "After all, who wouldn't suspect an attack on their lives after the havoc they have created? I will see you tomorrow." He turned around and walked off, checking his cell phone that he had managed to hide from the guards during the check. He knew it was risky to bring it when he was on a mission. But his head had not been working properly, his thoughts all going to Celine and whether she was alright or not. He shook his head. He needed to sort his feelings out fast. It was not normal for him to take such unnecessary risk.

* * *

"More people?" Hua asked, watching the hooded people that followed behind Amagiri. They didn't look like the usual ones Hua had seen during the short period she had stayed at the Evening Primrose main base.

"They just came in," Amagiri said. "Please mind your manners, Hua." Hua shrugged.

"Need me to be inside?" Hua asked as she worn on her mask.

"No need," Amagiri replied. "Just patrol along the outside of the building. Make sure no one gets in." He walked forward and stepped into a pile of mud. He sighed and shook the mud off his shoe, disgusted. "I hate it when it rains." He walked forward and towards the building, leading the others with him.

Hua watched as he and the other people disappeared through the rain. She sighed and then ran on ahead, passing them. Patrol, patrol, patrol… She felt bored with such work. She saw the building in the distance and leapt upwards, sitting down on a tree, feeling the life about her. She had a perfect view of the entire place from her perch. She leaned back against the trunk, huffing. She wanted to go home.

She was glad that her mission was nearly over. She could go back to her old life then. Then, she noticed something black darting between the trees. She frowned and squinted her eyes to see the figure jump onto the roof and then enter the building. _Alma!_ Hua thought, jumping down from her perch. She tried to open the door but it was locked. She knew that it would take some time before Amagiri and the others arrive. She didn't have time to wait for them.

She climbed up a nearby tree and then dropped on the roof. She looked the hole the figure had disappeared through, noticing that the hole lead to the vents in the building. She tried to crawl through, but couldn't because of the swords strapped to her back. She unstrapped them from her back and threw them at a tree, making a vine grab them from the air and then tie itself and the swords to the branch of a tree. She was glad that she had wrapped some waterproof covering around her swords to keep them from rusting.

Then, she slid into the hole, trying not to make so much noise. Her breathing was shallow as she thought about the safety of Alma. Soon, she found herself staring down at the room that Alma and two other priestess were in. She saw that Alma was alright and breathed a sigh of relief. She wondered where Kelly was at a time like this. It was not safe to leave Alma alone when there was a threat to her life.

At that moment, the door opened and Hua saw Amagiri and the others enter the room. They exchanged some words before Hua noticed an observer spirit appearing at a puddle of rainwater formed from Amagiri's dripping raincoat. She looked and noticed that one of the two priestess also stared at the puddle, as if she could see the spirit. _A contractor! The contractor meant to kill Alma!_ Hua thought. She also remembered seeing the priestess talking to Li yesterday, which meant that they were supposed to be working on this mission together.

She saw the priestess glow blue as her eyes turned red. Hua reached out to one of the plants in the room, about to kill the priestess. But before she could, Amagiri had grabbed the priestess by the throat and Hua knew that Alma was now safe. Suddenly, the lights went off. Hua head Amagiri yell for the lights and when it did come on, she saw Li standing in front of Alma with a hand clenched around her throat. He was now dressed in his contractor clothes and looked dangerous. More dangerous compared to when he was dressed up as the innocent transfer student, Li.

Hua felt as if she was caught between saving Alma or leaving Li alone. She saw Amagiri aim a palm at Li and quickly grabbed control of a plant and pushed Amagiri's palm to the side, his shot hitting the wall a few feet away from Li. As if knowing that this was a losing battle, Li reached up and left, leaving his partner behind. Amagiri ordered the other contractors to search for Li. Hua opened the vent and dropped into the room just as the other contractors left.

She walked over to Amagiri, whose back faced her. When she was close enough, he suddenly turned and slapped her. She tasted blood in her mouth but did not fight back. Amagiri said, "Why did you do that? What if Alma died? The entire mission will be compromised when that happens! Do you know that?"

"I can't let you hurt him…" Hua murmured.

"What?"

Hua shouted at him. "I can't let you hurt Li!" She looked down at the floor, clenching her fists. "I can't let you hurt him…"

"Why you-"

"Enough!" Alma said, pushing herself up slowly. She slowly transformed back into an old lady. "Hua has her reasons, leave her alone, Amagiri. I need to retire back to my room and I would prefer if Hua comes with me. Come on, Hua."

Hua went over to Alma's side, offering her arm to the contractor. The contractor gratefully grabbed her arm and walked out of the room with her. When they were back in her private rooms, Alma changed into a new set of clothes before settling into the bed. Hua tucked her in, her fingers brushing against Alma's skin. She frowned. It felt as though Alma was burning up.

"You are having a fever!" Hua gasped. "I will go get a doctor!"

"NO!" Alma said. Hua turned to look back at the contractor. "No… I don't need the doctor."

"But you are having a fever!" Hua said. "If you don't get treated, it might get worst! And your body's immunity system is now low because of how much you have aged!"

"It doesn't matter… I will still die either way… You know, Amber said I would die in this room…"

"I will go find a doctor."

Hua opened the door and left the room. She nodded to the other contractors stationed outside and then left the building. When she was enough, she stopped and slammed a fist into the wall of another building. How can people so easily accept death? She could not understand. She remembered the time when Amber had warned Shou that he would die if he entered Heaven's Gate. But still, her brother had not listened to the warning and set foot into that place. Hua had wanted to keep her beside him at all times. But he had not listened to her at all.

"Why, Shou?" Hua murmured. "Why? How could you accept it so easily and leave me behind?" Then, she straightened, seeing the bruises and a small trickle of blood run down her hand. "Man… I punched the wall too hard…" She went off to look for Kelly, knowing that this contractor would know how to treat Alma.

* * *

Hei watched as the wooden shed collapsed. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had taken care of one problem. He heard the voice call out to him and walked into the building, following the voice. Soon, he emerged in what looked like a bedroom. He saw his target resting on a large bed with an IV drip connected to one of her arms. She looked much older compared to the picture he had been given. Around the room, candles burned low in their brackets.

He approached the bed but something clad in black dropped onto the floor in front of him, swords drawn and poised to attack. Hua wore a mask over her face and water droplets dripped from her black hair. She said in a dangerous tone, "Don't come any closer!"

"Put your swords away, Hua," Alma commanded. Even though her voice was shaky, there was no mistake about the authoritative tone.

"No!" Hua said, watching Hei.

"Hua-"

"No! I won't let you die!" Hei stared at Hua, seeing the tremor of emotion in her voice. He was stunned. Contractors were not suppose to have emotions. "I will prove that Amber's predictions are wrong! I will prove to her that she is not always right."

"Hua, listen to me," Alma said. "I will still die. Everyone dies after some time. Come here and put your swords away." Hei watched as Hua did as what the contractor on the bed said. The contractor murmured something into Hua's ear and passed her something. Hua hugged her and then shrunk. Hei watched as a white bird ascended from the ground where Hua had previously stood. The bird flew pass him and out the open door behind him.

"So, you are Hei…" Alma said, her voice sounding very weak. "You don't have to kill me. I will die either ways. So, your mission is not compromised whether you come here or not. I have something to talk to you about, young contractor."

* * *

Hua stumbled back onto the ground in her human form, her wings turning back to her swords and hands. She knelt in the mud, crying. She was losing someone again. Someone who knew they could stop death from coming but yet did not stray from their path. She heard the sound of twigs snapping and turned to see Amagiri standing behind her.

"Time for us to go," Amagiri said. "We have what we come for. Let's go. Amber is waiting for you. We have packed up your things already." He picked up her swords from the ground and walked off. Hua got to her feet, following him. She reached into her pocket and took out what Alma had passed to her.

_"It will keep you safe, child,"_ Alma's voice said. Hua looked at the round medallion with the etching of the symbol that represented the religion Alma had formed. She wore it. _Safety…_ she thought, her mind going to Li. The one person that made her feel safe and whom she was willing to sacrifice anything for ever since Shou had left her. One of the most dangerous contractors… And yet… He made her feel safe.


	11. Chapter 11: Lies

I am back with an update before I disappear again to study!

Enjoy the update! ^^

* * *

**Chapter 11: Lies**

"Hello?" Hei said, answering the phone. He glanced at his watch, noticing that he had about ten minutes more before he moved in. He knew he shouldn't have brought the phone with him on a job. But he seem to be taking any risk as long as he could hear Hua's voice again. He had tried calling her after his other job of getting rid of Alma was over and done with. But her phone was off and it went to voice mail. He had never called again after that, wondering whether she was avoiding him. Now that she had called him, he felt glad about it.

"Hi," Celine said. "How are you?"

"Great!" Hei answered. "How about you? I have never heard from you in such a long time."

"I was overseas for awhile. Had enough money to visit a friend of mine who was overseas. Are you busy?"

"Um… Not really. Where did you go?"

"China. My friend is studying there but she is on holiday for the moment and told me to come over and visit her."

"What did you two do while you were there? I have not heard from you for about two weeks. Were you there all that time?"

"Well… We went around Shanghai…" She started telling him about her trip. Hei listened to her talk. He liked hearing her voice. After awhile, he heard her say, "Are you still there?"

"Yeah. Why are you asking?"

"I thought you fell asleep on me or something… Why were you so silent? Sounded as if I was talking to myself for a moment there."

"I was just enjoying the sound of your voice."

There was silence and when she did talk again, Hei could hear the amusement in her voice. "You are making me blush you know."

"Didn't think I could make you blush…" At that moment, Mao appeared from patrolling around the area. He saw Hei on the phone and Hei noticed the look of displeasure in his eyes. "Um… I have to go now. Maybe you would want to meet up tomorrow morning for breakfast?"

"Sure! I will come over to your place at the same time as last time?"

"Yeah. Sure! I will see you tomorrow then!"

"See you tomorrow! Be safe, Li…" At that moment, it sounded as if she knew about his secret. Before he could ask her anything, she had cancelled the call. Hei frowned but did not call her back anyway, slipping his phone into his pocket.

"Why did you bring that with you?" Mao demanded. "Do you know that if you drop it, anyone could trace us just from the numbers in the phone? And that didn't sound like Huang on the phone. Only he should be the one calling your phone. Who else has your number, Hei?"

"That is not for you to know. Don't tell Huang anything."

"Fine then. But if you get into trouble because of that girl on the phone, you should blame yourself for letting your guard down."

"You don't like seeing me socialize with humans?"

"I don't! Hei! What you are doing is the most irrational thing I have seen you do! Who is this human? Why is she so important to you that you are taking such unnecessary risks?"

Hei looked down at his watch and wore his mask. "That is only for me to know. Come on. It's time we get going."

* * *

Hua stood in a corner and watched as Brita and Wei talked things out. She had disliked Wei during their first meeting, which was only a couple of hours ago. But Amber had told her to be nice to the contractor. She would be nice to him. But if he attempted to kill Li again, like what he had done before, she would kill him before he realized anything.

Her head jerked upwards, something was calling out to her. She reached over and touched the leaves of a potted plant on the ground beside her. She frowned, feeling a small shiver run up and down her spine. She heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her and looked up to see Brita walking over to her. Brita asked, "Has it already started?"

"Yes," Hua answered. She noticed Wei was gone and asked, "Where is Wei?"

"He has gone upstairs," Brita answered. "He wants to check some things out."

"I will go too," Hua replied, walking over to the door. Brita grabbed her arm as she walked pass.

"Be careful, Hua," Brita murmured. "I know who you like. And I think it is best you know that Amber likes him as well."

Hua jerked away and clenched her fists. "I know who she likes. I don't need you to tell me what I already know. I will be going then." She strode out of the room without another word.

As she walked up the stairs, her thoughts went to what Brita had said. She knew who Amber liked. But she couldn't stop herself from falling for this guy like what had happened to Amber. He had an aura about him that just drew people to him, although he was bad at socializing. Hua touched the medallion she wore around her neck. It felt as though Alma was with her. During their short time together, Hua had gotten to know more about Alma, her thoughts, what she previously worked as before she became a contractor, her past, everything. It felt as though they were close buddies.

She was at the top of the stairs when she noticed blood splattered all over the place as well as a body of a soldier that had a hole straight in his chest. Hua leaned to the side and puked the contents of her stomach all over the floor. Even though she killed people before, but she had never done something like that to them. She heard the sounds of mini explosions and people's gasps as they died. She followed the sound, finding more bodies along the way. She pulled her mask over her face.

She was close to a room when there was a sudden explosion like a bomb going off. She was flung back down the corridor, slamming back first into a wall, and lay on the ground for awhile, stunned from the shock. She shook her head and blinked, feeling a slight pain at the back of her head. She touched the spot, seeing blood on her hand. But not enough to look like a serious injury. She got up, removing her mask. It had cracked in a few places thanks to the shock from the explosion.

Her ears caught the sound of people running in her direction. She looked at the cloud in front of her from where the bomb had gone off and decided to try her luck in finding an escape route there. She covered her nose and mouth as she walked through the dust that floated through the air. Soon, she saw a door on her left, which she opened. It lead to what looked like an office. Piles of concrete from the upper floor blocked most of the windows, except one. She ran over to it and jumped out.

She felt something tumble down and looked to see clouds of dust coming from the area where a tree had fallen. She crept through the bushes and saw Wei and Li battling each other. She was about to kill Wei for even thinking of hurting Li when she felt someone grab her arm. She looked up at Brita, who shook her head. Brita said, "I will take care of this problem. In the meantime, you leave. Go home. I will be there later to help treat the wound of yours. Don't do anything stupid, Hua."

* * *

Hei sat down on the floor, wondering where Mao had gone to. Huang was still trying to locate him. So, in the meantime, Hei should just stay in his home until Huang had managed to trace where Mao is. Hei heard a knock on the door and got up. He walked over to the door and opened it, seeing Celine standing there.

"Hi! I brought some-" Celine begin saying before Hei suddenly pulled her into a hug. Hei held her close. It felt as though seeing her standing there made his entire life worthwhile to live. He could smell the scent of vanilla and orchids coming from her hair, drowning himself in the scent. "Um… Li…? You are hugging me too tightly."

"Oh… Sorry…" Hei said, releasing her.

"I didn't know you missed me that much," Celine teased. She walked into the house, placing the bags she carried on the table. "Hmm… Looks like you have not start cooking yet. Want me to help cook?"

"No! It's alright!" Hei said, closing the door and hurrying over to her. "Sit down for awhile. I will be done soon." Celine shrugged and walked over to the table, unpacking the food she had brought over.

Hei started the fire and cooked, occasionally looking over his shoulder at her. He liked everything about her. Her long fingers that tucked her hair behind her ears, her eyes that looks as if she knew everything about him, her smile as she thought of something funny, her gentle aura that made him feel safe. As if feeling his eyes on her, Celine looked up at him. He quickly looked back down at what he was cooking. He liked her. He now knew what he was feeling. He liked her. He would do anything and everything to keep her safe.

"I think you are burning your food…" Celine said. He turned and saw her standing beside him.

"Oh! Right!" Hei said.

"You seem really absent-minded today," Celine laughed as she walked away. "Is something on your mind?"

"No… Not really…" Hei answered.

Celine walked into his bedroom. Hei quickly finished cooking and placed the food on the table, following her. He saw her at the only window in the room he rented, leaning against the window sill. He stood beside her and she said, "It's nice to be able to see the city from here. But that wall ruins it the scenery…"

"You don't like the wall?"

"Yup! It looks like it is caging everyone inside. Reminds me of a story that I read of a long time ago."

"What is the story about?"

"I will tell you the story another time. In the meantime, let's eat! I can smell the food from here!" Hei smiled as he watched Celine skip back to the kitchen area. She amused him and somehow brought colours to his dark soul.

* * *

"That's the last dish," Hua said, handing the wet plate to Li. He dried it and then placed it on the rack beside the others. She asked him, "You are not rushing or anything, right?"

"Nope," Li answered. "Why?"

"I was thinking of hanging out here for awhile," Hua said. "I have nothing much to do today…" Which was a lie, she was suppose to be back at base. Amber had said that there would be a meeting and there were things that she, Hua, needed to be there to listen to. But Hua had decided that she wanted to meet Li. After all, she didn't know how much more time she had left.

"Why don't you sit down in the next room?" Li suggested. "I will come as soon as I get the kettle going."

"Sure," Hua replied, walking to the next room, sitting down on the floor with her back against the wall. She looked over at Li. She liked him. She liked him so much that at times it hurt. But… he belonged to Amber. Amber liked him as well and she, Hua, could not betray her. Not after what Amber had done to make sure Hua could still have a part of Shou with her. But still, she could not help falling for him. She touched the medallion that hung around her neck. She had worn the medallion ever that day.

Hua smiled up at Li as he came into the room and sat down beside her. He said, "Thanks for bringing some food over. I was running low on things to cook because I was too busy to go out and do some grocery shopping." He laughed, nervously.

"No problem!" Hua laughed.

"What is that?" Li asked, gesturing at the medallion that Hua wore around her neck.

"Oh! This was a gift from a dear friend of mine," Hua answered. "She passed on a few days ago, so this medallion reminds me of her." Hua saw the frown that formed on Li's face when he saw the marks engraved onto the round, palm-sized medallion. She hoped he did not remember where he had seen the marks before.

"I see…" Li said. At that moment, the sound of a phone ringing filled the room. Li stood up and walked over to his study table, picking up his phone. Hua noticed the way his eyes narrowed when he read the caller id before he excused himself. Hua could guess who the caller was and hoped that Li would not insist on saving his friend.

She had opposed Amber's idea of bringing Mao into the second base that Evening Primrose used. But Amber refused to listen to her, saying that if they brought someone close to Li to the meeting, then they would be able to get a message across to the contractor, whom they needed to make their plan work.

"Um… I have to go out," Li said, walking back into the room. "A friend of mine needs me to help him look for his missing cat." He grabbed his jacket from where it hung on the wall. "You can hang here for awhile, let yourself out when you need to." He walked towards the door.

Hua quickly got to her feet and ran over to him, hugging him from the back. She felt his hands covers hers. She whispered, "I like you…" She felt him go still. "I like you… I like you a lot." She did not care about Amber now. She liked him and that was all that mattered now.

"Celine…" Li murmured. Hua released him from her hug and he turned around to face her.

"I like you, Li," Hua said. "I… I want you to know that I do… And that I hope we could be more than just friends…"

"Celine, you don't know me. We have not known each other for long. If you know what I am really like… You might just run away from me."

"I won't! I know you, Li. You are a great guy."

"No, Celine… I am more than that. There is a side of me that you have not seen before… A side that will scare you." Hua knew which side he was talking about. His contractor side that was dangerous. But even then, she still liked him. She liked him for who he is.

Then, it just hit her. What if he didn't like her as well? All this while, she had been thinking about only her feelings without thinking of his. She moved away from him saying, "Sorry… I said things without taking your feelings into consideration. I am really sorry… I will go now…" She moved pass him towards the door. But he reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked back at him.

"I like you as well, Celine," Li admitted. "But… I can't let you get hurt. If you know who I really was, then you would know that I am not safe for you. I don't want to see you hurt because of me."

"I won't, Li. I won't. I know how to take care of myself."

Li pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "I know you can. I know. But I still can't put you in such a risk."

"I am not fragile, Li! Please! Can't we be more than friends?"

"I am not saying we can't… I will see you two days from now, okay? Let's meet up at the cinemas."

"Alright then!" Hua looked up and smiled at him while he smiled back. Then, he turned and left her. Hua watched as the door closed behind him. She did not want him to go. What if he or any of his other team mates try to kill Amber? Or what if Wei killed him? She did not want to go there because she knew she ran a greater risk of exposing her secret. But she could not let him or Amber die.

She then opened the door and was about to leave before she looked back into the empty room. She touched the medallion she wore. She didn't need to be kept safe. As long as he was safe. Nothing else mattered to her. She removed the medallion and then placed it on the dining table before she left.


	12. Chapter 12: Moment of Truth

**Chapter 12: Moment of Truth**

Hei leapt pass Wei, going for Amber. He had enough of fighting. Enough of having Amber be the one to ruin everything for him. He had enough of it. He ran straight for her, a hand reaching for her throat to squeeze the life out of her when a figure in black with a mask stepped in front of him, a flash of silver warned him that the figure held swords and he jumped back. He was not surprised to see who the figure was. Although she had helped him many times, he was not grateful that she was with his enemy.

He felt anger rise in him that she was the one preventing him from killing Amber. He threw his dagger at her. But she easily avoided it, using her sword to sweep it aside. Then, she lunged at him, driving him away from Amber. He ducked under her slashes as he swiped at her as well. Then, he saw her sword come down for his head before it stopped about an inch away. He wondered why she stopped and took that opportunity to slash upwards.

"No! Hei!" Mao shouted.

Hua barely avoided it as his dagger sliced through the strings that held her mask to her face. It fell off as she turned to the side. She felt blood trickle down the side of her face. She touched it and turned to look at Hei, seeing the look of hurt on his face. Hei could not believe that Celine was Hua. Only that she had black hair instead of brown. Was everything she told him about herself a lie? He looked at Hua/Celine, hoping to see that everything he was currently seeing was a lie. Hua looked away, feeling ashamed and sad that he had to find out her secret this way. When she avoided meeting his gaze, Hei knew that this was the moment of truth. She had been lying to him all along.

"A battle well fought," Amber said. "I have never seen a fight so well fought." Hei looked up at her and Hua recognized the look of mindless rage in his eyes as he leapt towards her.

"Hei! Stop!" Mao shouted as Hua and Brita shouted, "Amber, watch out!"

But the warning was too late. Hei had a hand on Amber's head. She looked up at him, looking unafraid. "What are you after?" he demanded, his voice full of emotions. "What else do you plan to take from me?"

"Ask your little cat friend for the details," Amber replied. "I have told him everything."

Hei suspected it as a trap and frowned. He started glowing blue as he tried to electrocute Amber. At that moment, everything else on the upper floors of the building started glowing blue. Hua looked down at her arms, wondering what was going on. Then, she remembered the incident inside Heaven's Gate when Bai protected the gate. All of a sudden, Hei released Amber and he collapsed to the ground and the blue glow faded away.

* * *

Hua wondered what had happened and hoped that neither Amber nor Hei was injured. Then, she saw Amber standing in front of her. She looked about her, seeing that Amber had stopped time again. Brita and Wei stood behind her. Amber said, "It is up to you what you want to do. I leave him to you because I know that you can protect him from himself. There is a police coming up the stairs along with two MI6 agents. Down the other corridor, one of Hei's team members would be coming with a flash gun. Be careful, Hua. I need you to come back to base as soon as you have settled what needs to be settled here. I need your help. I hope you would understand that."

"Of course, Amber," Hua said.

Amber smiled and reached up, rubbing Hua's hair like what she always did to Hua and Shou ever since the first time she met them. "That's the way, squirt. Don't disappoint me." Then, she turned and left with the other two. Hua watched her leave.

"What do you think, Shou?" Hua murmured. Then, she felt as though Shou was standing beside her. She felt his hand hold hers, like what they have always done since they were kids. Then, she heard Shou's voice say, _"Whatever you do, I will always support you. Remember that."_ Hua nodded and then felt his presence fade away. She knew she could not hurt Hei's friend. So, she ran down another stairwell. She would meet them at the end.

* * *

"You people were an idiot trying to come after me," Mao grumbled as he, Hei and Huang exited from the building. They dashed across the road to a park, needing to get as far away from the building as possible. At that moment, green vines appeared from the ground and wrapped around Huang, holding him down onto the ground. Mao looked shocked and scrambled away.

"Huang!" Hei said, taking out his dagger. At that moment, he felt movement in the air and turned, seeing Hua standing there. She had her mask over her face to protect Huang from seeing who she was.

"I need to talk to you," Hua said.

"Get lost," Hei warned. "And release Huang or I will kill you."

"Li-"

"I am not Li! But... I guess you knew that already."

"Hei, please. I will not hurt your friend here. I just need to speak with you for a moment." Hei looked at Huang.

"Go on and talk to the lady," Huang grunted. "I don't mind being this close to nature. I hate it when one of you damn contractors try to get the best of me."

Hei turned and followed Hua. When they were further enough, Hua removed her mask. She turned and said, "Hei, I am sorry."

"Oh! Sure you are! Did Amber tell you to say that to me? Cause I am starting to get sick of what Amber likes telling people to do."

"Hei, please hear me out."

"So that you can tell me more lies?"

"Hei-"

"For once, Celine. For once, I thought I found someone I could truly be safe with. Someone I could trust. But then, you are not Celine anymore, are you? You are Hua the contractor now."

"You can trust me, Hei. I may be Hua. But underneath it all, I am still the same old Celine."

"Why should I trust a liar? How do I know whether you are telling me the truth or not? For all I know, you could be like Amber. Taking advantage of me and-" Hua slapped him with all her strength.

"You never do listen to anyone do you? You never listen fully to their explanation of why they did what they did. You just assume that they were the way your mind perceived. Listen, Hei. I like… No wait. I love you. Even though I knew you were sent to kill me. I found myself having all those strong feelings about you."

"If you did love me, then you should have just told me."

"Then what would you have done, Hei? Tell me! What would you have done? If I told you, you have killed me, right? I kept this from you to keep you safe as well as to keep me safe. If the syndicate knew that you talked to me, they would have eliminated you as well."

"Why eliminate me? What do I have to do with this?"

"Because they would suspect that I told you things that you shouldn't know."

"So, I am supposed to be grateful that you kept that secret from me?"

"I guess not… Look, Hei… I am really sorry. I can see that you do not want me to be here. I will be going then. Remember, Hei, listen to what Mao has to say. He can explain to you about what is going on here."

Then, she shifted into a bird and took off. Hei watched her go and then wanted to call her back. He had not meant what he had said. He wished he could apologize to her. Then, he realized what he was thinking and shook his head. What had he done to consider himself to be in the wrong? It was her fault that he was in this position. He glared at the ground and kicked a stone as hard as he could. It was her fault… Not his!


	13. Chapter 13: Conflicting Emotions

Next chapter is here!

And I am back for a week or so before my college classes resume again!

XD

* * *

**Chapter 13: Conflicting Emotions**

Hua looked down at the cup of coffee in her hand. She felt a tear slide down her face and drop into the cup. She took a deep breath and forced herself to hold the rest back. She had already done her crying yesterday night, or rather seven hours ago. Now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She had no time to cry over a broken heart. She felt someone touch her shoulder and take the cup of coffee from her hands, setting it down on the floor beside her. Hua looked up at Amber. She saw the trust and pity in the older woman's eyes and felt her tears gush down her face again. She hugged Amber as the woman gently caressed her hair.

"Now… Now I know why," Hua sobbed. "I know why you told me to stay away from him. All those warnings… You were always trying to protect me, Amber… But I never did listen. Why did I ever not listen?"

"Shhh…" Amber murmured. "It's ok…" Amber glared at the other members that stared at them. She didn't need them to be nosy in this matter. After awhile, Amber felt Hua stop crying.

"I am alright now, Amber… Thanks." She got to her feet. "We have to start out soon, right?"

"Actually," Amber said, looking up at Hua. "There is something I need you to do."

* * *

Hei walked along the street, deep in thought. He hated the way his feelings were in a turmoil at the moment. Hatred and love fighting with each other for dominance with the feelings of being betrayed, gratefulness and a whole bunch of either feelings taking either one side. He liked… No loved Celine, or now Hua. He realized that even before he had come to know her true feelings and her true identity. He loved Celine as who she was. But was that really her? Or was it part of her acting? He was not sure.

Then, he felt someone's eyes on him and looked up to see the police officer, Misaki, looking at him. He nodded a little in greeting and continued walking. He suddenly felt someone grab his arm and turned to look in surprise at Misaki, who seemed surprised with what she had done. Then, she asked the most unusual question, "Are you hungry?" He blinked in surprise and then decided to join her.

Soon, they were seated in a restaurant. After eating a few plates and talking for awhile, Hei asked Misaki, "Did I really look that hungry?" He watched the 24th plate of meat being cooked. He was a little surprised at how much Misaki could eat. He shoved some rice into his mouth from his 8th bowl of rice.

"Oh…" Misaki said. "You looked kind of like someone I knew."

Hei frowned, looking worried. "You don't mean like a criminal you are pursuing, right?" Misaki looked shocked and started coughing, as if she had choked on what she had eaten. "That's what it is, isn't it?"

"Yeah… Well… You see…" She laughed nervously and grabbed food from the dishes on the table, stuffing them into her mouth.

He taught of teasing her and said, "Don't move. You are being targeted from the seat behind you." Misaki stared at him for awhile before she started laughing. Hei felt surprised and asked, "What's so funny?"

"That was bad!" Misaki laughed. "Not at all convincing!"

Hei pretended to look surprised and said, "Really? Was it all that bad?"

"I mean that…" Misaki laughed, reaching across the table with a piece of tissue paper and wiping something away from the corner of his mouth. Hei remembered how Hua had done that for him a few times. He suddenly wished it was her sitting across from him instead of this police officer.

After awhile of laughing, Misaki slowly stopped. She looked thoughtful for a moment before she said, "It's funny, you know… You keep chasing the stars, after a long time, and you just develop an attachment to them."

"You are really devoted to your work, huh?"

"It's true that I have been working very hard. But before I realized it, I was swallowed up by the organization… I feel like I have lost sight of myself…"

Hei thought about the work he had done for the syndicate, his past and the recent events. "It's the same as in any organization… They just use you as pawns however they see fit."

"Maybe you are right…"

* * *

Hua dropped silently onto the roof of the building. She crept across the roof, hoping that no one had seen her. She spotted an open window and entered, coming face to face with a gun. A short, fat, old man said, "You think I didn't notice you, huh, you bloody contractor? Well, I did! Now get your sorry ass out of here or I will kill you."

Hua watched him calmly and then lifted the mask from her face. She remembered Amber telling her that this man was one of Hei's team members. His name was Huang and he was a human. Hua saw the look of distrust flash across of his face as his finger squeezed the trigger of the gun.

"Huang, stop!" Mao and Yin burst into the room just as the bullet exited from the gun. Hua ducked to the side and then made a plant pull the gun from Huang's hand. He looked furious and pulled another gun from his pocket but Hua knocked it aside. She used one of her swords as a pin, pinning Huang to the wall by poking it through the sleeves of his shirt.

"I bring a message from Amber," Hua said, turning to look at Mao and Yin. She knew Huang could not harm her now that he was stuck where he was. "Time is running out. You are all in danger. You need to leave or all of you will die here!"

"Why?" Huang demanded. "Is she coming to kill us?"

"No. If she was, she wouldn't send me to tell you this, would she?" Hua replied sarcastically, turning to look at him. "The syndicate are." She turned to look at Mao. "You know what is going on. You know how dire this situation is."

"But what does this have to do with us?" Mao asked. "We are not involved in your plans."

"You may not be," Hua replied. "But one of your members has something to do with what happened to Heaven's Gate five years ago." Hua looked down at the watch she wore. "You have ten minutes to leave. Pick Hei up along the way. All of you are in danger." She pulled her sword from the wall, letting Huang drop down to the floor as she slipped out of the window and disappeared. Now, for her next mission.

* * *

"Shit this!" Huang cursed. "Did that stupid contractor get the timing wrong?" He stepped on the accelerator as he rounded a corner. He could hear bullets hitting the back of the car he drove. God! He hated these men that don't seem to learn to give up! Thankfully he had reinforced glass on the back window of the car. Though he wished he had enough money before this to put reinforced glass on the rest of the windows.

"Nope, she got the timing correct," Mao said, looking up at Huang. He lay curled up on the seat beside Yin. He looked over at Yin, seeing the doll with her hand inside a small bucket of water. "Have you managed to find him yet, Yin?"

"No," the doll said. "He is not near any source of water."

"What should we do, Huang? Where do you think Hei is?"

"None of my bloody problem. I prefer saving my skin rather than your sorry asses."

"We can't just leave Hei here!"

"If you can't find him, means he's already dead! Rather than walking into a trap, I say we leave."

"Huang!"

"Let's go to Hei's house," Yin said, her eyes still fixed on the bucket of water. "He should return there."

"Okay then! Hang on!" Huang stepped on the accelerator.

* * *

Hei sighed as he walked down the street, his hands stuffed into his pockets. The time spent with Misaki did nothing more than to remind him of Hua. He remembered this feeling. He had loved another girl other than his sister once. Cared for the girl a lot. Until the time when his sister was recruited to join an agency six years ago because of the power she had. Then, he had to give up on the girl to protect his sister. Everything to him had been about Bai ever since their parents passed away in an incident where a rogue contractor had killed them about three years earlier when the contractors had just started coming into existence.

He had thought that his feelings towards another person would never resurface again. Especially since he was now a contractor. But no, the feelings were there. Was everything that Alma said correct? That contractors do have feelings and emotions. That they are not mindless robots. Hua had proved to be like that. All the time he had been with her, she had always been emotional, showing when she was happy or sad. Something no contractor was suppose to show.

Hua… Everything about her challenged what he knew about the world and what he believed about himself. She was different. Different from how he had perceived everything to be. And yet… He did not mind. She somehow brought life to everything that had been dull to him. She gave him a chance to feel human again.

Hei touched the medallion he wore. When he had first seen it in his house, he had wanted to throw it as far away as he could. Yet he could not bring himself to throw something that had belonged to her. That she had obviously given to him. So many conflicting emotions within him.

"Hei!" Hei turned to see Mao running towards him. "Don't go back home."

"What's going on?" Hei asked.

"No time for explanations!" Mao said. He was about to say something else when the sound of tires screeching filled the air. A car with bullet holes in the front windscreen appeared around a corner. It pulled to a stop in front of Hei and the side window came down. Hei could see Huang in the driver's seat and Yin sitting at the back.

"Get in the car," Huang ordered. Hei repeated his question to which Huang answered, "The syndicate has cut us loose. People are sent out to get rid of us."

"What? Why would they?" Hei hoped that this had nothing to do with the previous mission or of Amber or Hua.

"That's what I would like to know…"

"Hei, we know that it has something to do with the Heaven's Gate incident," Mao said, appearing on the side of the road. "Are you sure you are not keeping anything from us?"

Hei was about to reply when he heard the suspicious sound. He was about to turn around before something pushed him to the ground, as if a huge weight was crushing him to the spot. He saw that Mao and Huang were also facing the same difficulties. He pushed himself up a little and glared at the contractor that appeared from a nearby alley.

"You don't have to glare at me that way, BK201," the contractor said. "I am only following orders." _The syndicate!_ Hei thought.

The contractor looked at Hei and Hei felt as though the invisible weight had increased tenfold. Then, the weight suddenly vanished. He pushed himself up a little and saw that the contractor was dead and that his unlikely hero was Wei. He did not hear what Wei said as his ears were still ringing from the pain. When he had recovered enough, he said, "You!" in an accusing tone.

"Relax!" Wei said, looking over his shoulder at Hei. "I am not here to fight you this time. I am here under orders from a friend: Amber. She's waiting for you inside the Gate, BK201." Wei said his Messier Code in a mocking tone.

"Impossible!" Mao exclaimed. "You can't just waltz in there like it's a shopping mall or something!"

"Which is why I am offering you my help to guide you safely into the Gate," Wei replied.

"That seems a little too good to be true!" Mao retorted.

"Alright," Hei said, getting slowly to his feet. Mao looked at him and was about to protest. But Hei cut him off, saying, "You wanna know what happened at Heaven's Gate? Well, I can't tell you because I don't know. I don't know why Pai disappeared. Only one person knows the answer and that would be Amber."

"So, you are going to go in and ask her?" Huang asked. Hei nodded in reply.

"And then…" Yin said, making everyone look at her. "When you see Amber… And when you talk to her…" Yin stopped there. Hei knew the question she was going to ask. What was he going to do next after talking to Amber? Well, he was not sure about that and he would think about that later.

"All aboard," Huang said, revving up the engine of the car. "You can hitch a ride with me. I will take you as far as I can." Hei had a look of determination in his eyes and got into the car.


	14. Chapter 14: Dying

Coming close to the ending.

The fic ends where the first season ends.

Just letting you readers know.

:)

* * *

**Chapter 14: Dying**

Hua landed silently on her feet. She held her white handle sword in one hand, it's blade had blood dripping from it. Behind her, an entire team of snipers had been eliminated, giving Hei and the others enough time to make it out of the city and towards the Gate. She heard the sound of rotor blades and looked up to see a helicopter whiz pass in the air, chasing after a van that had just emerged from a tunnel. She was about to go after it when she heard Amber's voice through the earpiece she wore.

"Go to the other location," Amber ordered. "Your work there is nearly done. Return to me as soon as you have made sure that Hei and the others have got through safely."

"Of course," Hua said, getting up.

"And, Hua?"

"Yeah?"

"You MUST protect Hei." Then, there was only static.

* * *

Amagiri made sure he had everything he needed. He was about to leave the room when he heard Amber call his name. He turned around and saw the girl walk into the room. He had worked as a contractor for the syndicate before and had gotten the privilege to work alongside Amber a few times. They were close colleagues and were of the same age. But now, seeing the teenage girl standing in front of him, it was as if the contractor he had worked with so long ago was now gone. In place of her was a girl that was going to be a woman but had the mentality of a child at times.

"Remember your mission, if you fail…" Amber begun to say.

"I know the consequences," Amagiri replied. He turned and walked over to the exit.

"I know that you care for Hua a lot more than a friend," Amber murmured, making Amagiri stop in his tracks. "So, I want you to know that my predictions are not always correct. As there are people who are willing to change the future rather than bend to what fate tells them. Though… At times, fate refuses to let them do so…"

"I know, Amber, I know," Amagiri said. "Just keep her safe till this thing is all over."

"I will, Amagiri," Amber promised watching as he and Brita disappear. She frowned and then noticed that her clothes were too big for her, again. She went back into her room to change into another set of clothes. She would keep Hua safe. Unless fate decided otherwise, then there was nothing she could do.

* * *

Hua watched as the group walked through hole. So, in the end, Wei also succumbed to what Amber had predicted. No one seem to want to deflect from what Amber had told them would happen. Hua smiled, so did she. Maybe, they had not believed that what Amber said would come true? Amber was like a mother, trying to warn her children whenever she could. But as usual, children always rebel against their parents. Not many would actually listen to what their parents have to say.

Hua got up from her hiding place. She had seen that Hei wore the medallion she had left in his home and felt happy that he wore it. She wished that she could have went over to him. But was afraid that he would become angry with her being there and maybe even refuse to see Amber. She could not make that happen. After all, Hei was the only one who could save all of them. She slipped through the hole after the group.

"Hua, come in, Hua," Amber's voice could be heard again over the earpiece.

"Yes, Amber?"

"Are you done with your mission?"

"Of course."

"Come to the next place. I will be there waiting for you."

* * *

"Amagiri is dead, Amber!" a voice screamed down the line at her. "And Brita is badly wounded."

"I see…" Amber said. "Just move on… We don't have time to waste. Move on with the mission."

Fate, as usual, was cruel. Looks like Amagiri was meant to die no matter how many times Amber tried to make the situation better. Hopefully… Hua had better luck than him. She heard a sound from behind her and turned to see Hua getting up from a crouching position, rubbing her ass.

"I hate coming this close to the center," Hua mumbled. "It is as if the entire place has a mind of its own. Luckily we have not seen any of those weird creatures yet. Unless they don't exist here but only exist in Heaven's Gate?"

"I think that they do exist here," Amber said. "Only that they are probably on the other side of Japan."

Hua shrugged. "Who cares? Anyways, why ask me to come here? I don't think I am needed here, right?"

"Well… It's because…" Amber felt a tear slide down her face.

"What's wrong, Amber?"

Amber went over to her and hugged her tightly. "I am afraid, Hua! I don't want to die! But yet… I must…"

"Whose saying you must die?"

"Because if I live, you will die!"

"What…?"

"I have gone over this situation over and over again. No matter how hard I try, if I live, you will die. I guess it is either one or the other that lives. And I can't let you die. I can't… I can't bear watching the people I love die. It is so difficult…"

"But… Hei can't kill you…"

"Who said anything about him killing me?" Amber looked up at Hua. "I am dying, Hua. Like Alma. I have used my powers too often. I can't get any younger than this, Hua."

"Then, don't! Just leave while you still can!"

"I cannot do that. Because if I do, not a single contractor will live. Besides… I have seen that the only person who can make him happy is you." Amber hugged her again. "Take care of him for me, Hua. I know that you can. Now, leave! You know where you are suppose to go next." Amber turned her back on Hua and vanished through the mist. Hua knew better than to chase after her.

"Good bye, Amber…" Hua murmured, leaving the place.


	15. Chapter 15 The Full Truth

Second last chapter.

Thanks for reading the fic so far! :)

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Full Truth**

"I can't take us any closer," Yin said. Hei watched her closely. The Gate had weird effects on contractors and dolls. He did not want any harm to come to Yin. Not after losing Mao and possibly Huang as well. Seeing that she looked well enough, Hei sat down on a nearby bench.

"This is far enough," Amber replied, looking about her with an interested look on her face. "Back in South America we didn't even get this close to the core." Amber looked over at Hei. "You don't seem very angry anymore… I know that I have the girl and the cat to thank for that…" _And maybe Hua as well…_ Amber thought sadly. Among all the girls that had come into contact with Hei, Hua was the only one who got a lot of reaction out of him. She was jealous of the younger girl. Jealous that she was so close to Hei's heart even though they had known each other for only a few months when she, Amber, had known him for years. Amber pushed her feelings aside and continued, "They passed on my message. Now you know the truth."

"All this time, I was never interested in hearing your reasons for fighting," Hei murmured.

"And now you are?"

"Have you really been fighting the syndicate since South America? Even during Heaven's War?"

"We didn't have as many members then… But yes… It took us a long time to learn of the syndicate's motives. I fought that war countless of times before I got it right. But still, many people died… Why do we spy? For what reason do we work for the human governments who made us fight each other? We never did ask questions. We just followed orders and took our earnings. We are contractors after all. We are cold, rational beings. But… That was only our infancy and, like children, we started to grow. There wasn't someone who lead us and we didn't change overnight. We were evolving, gradually, until before we knew it, we were calling each other friends and shared all sorts of information together. Your sister was one of the first. As was Hua and her twin brother, Shou."

"Pai was?" Hei asked.

"Yes. She was also the first one to discover the syndicate's plans." Hei looked shocked. "It's only natural you didn't find out. You are the last person in the world she would want to get dragged into this. She wanted to protect you."

Emotions flashed across his face and Amber knew what was going through his head. Hua looked the same when she found out what her brother had tried to do. Like Pai, Shou also kept his own sibling in the dark about what was going on. Hua only found out about their plans a week before the supposed date when Shou had decided to tell her. Yet, he had managed to make sure that she was not involved in it.

"Hei…" Amber said softly. "You are not like us. You are human. You still are. It would have been hard on you, right? Choosing between humans and contractors. That was why you weren't told about Heaven's Gate."

Hei thought about it for awhile before he asked, "When did she change? From being so rational?"

"I don't know… It happened over time… When you started working for the syndicate to be close to her and to show that you were on her side even though she was a contractor, she knew how hard the work was for you and it made her sad. Little by little, she started to change. And if you are wondering how I would know that, it is because I have felt the same. And I also know of contractors who do change because of the loved ones they want to protect." She saw the frown on Hei's face and continued, "You know… The dolls are changing too. It may be harder to tell but it's true. They are evolving like the rest of us. What we are evolving into, I am not so sure. I don't know who created the Gate or why. But what I am confident about is that the contracts we entered into were only the beginning of something greater. It may not be discovered until a century later or even more. But that's not for us to know or expected of us to know. The only thing that matters now is that we survive."

"How come you never told me this before? Why couldn't Hua tell me? Why did you keep me in the dark about this?"

"I know Hua has her reasons as to why. I think she has maybe told you some of them and will tell you the rest later on. I never did send her to spy on you. You and her met by chance. For me, I guess it is because I know that you will blame me for Pai's disappearance and you would never have trusted me. Besides, if you had known you would have tried to leave the syndicate and never would have survived this long."

Before Hei could reply, Yin cut in, "I heard them. They said it would come soon."

"What would?" Hei asked.

Amber walked over to what looked like a miniature clock tower, that stood about 10 feet high. Even though no one had wound it up since 10 years ago, it still worked. "The annihilation of Hell's Gate and every single contractor. That's what we are going to stop." She stood in front of the tower and asked, "Hei, would you like to see Pai again?"

* * *

Hua watched as the large iron doors opened. Behind her, two squads of the syndicate's soldiers lay dead or dying. She hoped Amber would be successful. This was the last chance the contractors have after several failed attempts to stop the construction of the Saturn Ring. She heard the sound of vehicles approaching and turned to see three trucks coming towards her. Looks like her killing spree was not over yet.

"Please keep the nightmares away, Shou…" Hua murmured as she rushed at them, her blades drawn.

* * *

Amber took out the Meteor Shard from the small bag she carried. She was slightly surprised to see that it was whole again. She murmured, "The gate is a strange place. Before I came here, I broke this and gave the pieces to the others. But now that we need it, it is complete again."

"What are you planning to do?" Hei asked.

"The same thing we did in Heaven's Gate," Amber answered. "Release Pai's power before the syndicate fires their weapon. We will make it so that no one would be able to put both Gates in jeopardy again. Then, our future will be secured." She held out the Shard to him. "Please, Hei. It's time."

"It's her power. Why are you asking me?"

"Are you serious? You mean you haven't realized it yet? Pai's been with you since the moment you thought she had died. She fused with you. That is why you have power without a price. It's her. Your sister's power goes beyond electric shock. She can alter molecules at a quantum level. That is how she fused with you. How she will transform Hell's Gate! Release her, Hei, and you would finally be able to see her."

Hei thought about what had happened to Heaven's Gate and wondered whether the same thing would happen here if he did that. He did not want innocent people to die. "What about the city then?" He looked down at the ground. "Yes. I want to see Pai more than anything. But if I release her power, what happens to the people then? The country? Everything in the explosions path? They all will die, right? Just like South America!" He looked at Amber and saw the answer in her eyes. "Well… I can't do that." He looked away again.

"Then, all the contractors and dolls are dead. I am gone, Yin is too. As well as Hua. Every other contractor will vanish. Everyone of us but you, Hei. Can you live with that? Knowing that you could have stopped our deaths yet do nothing about it?"

Hei just looked down at the ground. He did not want them to die as well. He did not want Yin or Amber or anyone else he treasured to just disappear. Especially not Hua. She meant everything to him. He realized that now. He remembered that incident in the park. That was the first time he had slept so peacefully with no nightmares haunting him. She made him feel safe and worry-free by just being beside him. He could not let her vanish. But… He didn't want other innocent people to die… He did not want to kill other people.

Amber saw the emotions that flashed across Hei's face. She knew that she was running out of time and stepped forward, pushing the Shard towards Hei in hopes that it would generate a reaction from him. And it did. The Shard started to glow brighter and brighter before all colours faded to that single white light.

* * *

"Is that your answer, Hei?" Amber asked. She emerged from the curtain of light, looking like how she should look like. Not the teenage Amber or the five year old Amber anymore. She was back to her original height. "Are you sure this is what you want? Choosing both sides means only more confusion for you. I want you to understand that. If you leave Hell's Gate exposed, the syndicate will never stop trying to destroy it. They will come after you. Which means that you would have to keep killing. You said you had enough, didn't you? You have searched so long for what you have lost and now you are going to lose it again! Your sister. The stars. Don't you want to be safe and have everything you love?" Amber knew that she was trying to convince herself that Hei had everything he needed here. That he did not need to go back after Hua. "Don't-"

Hei reached out and hugged her close to him. Amber felt as though she wanted to cry. She knew Hei loved his sister, Pai. But at the same time, she had a feeling that his heart belonged to someone else. He would never be content if he stayed here with them even if he had finally found his sister. She asked the question, "Why? You have searched so long for your sister and the real stars. I know that this is what you want and that it is what kept you going. It kept me going too…"

"Are you sure he's the one not ready to let go?" November asked. Amber moved away from Hei a little to look back at the group behind them. The group of deceased people that Hei knew. All except one boy, who stepped from the group and stood beside Pai. The boy looked strangely familiar...

"Amber… You know, I-" Hei begun to say. But Amber cut him off by kissing him.

She then stepped away and took hold of Pai's hand. "Let's leave it at that, ok?"

Then, the boy who stood beside Pai, said, "Take care of my sister for me, Hei." The boy smiled the same smile as Hua.

"Goodbye, Hei," Pai said, looking up at her older brother. "I will be near."

"I know that now," Hei smiled. "Thanks." He looked at the group of contractors and humans that stood behind the two. "Goodbye, everyone!" He met Amber's eyes and said, "Goodbye, Amber."

Then, the wall of light grew brighter again and a five year old Amber stood in front of Hei, smiling serenely. Before everything turn black and Hei found himself falling. _Hua…_ he thought, her face appearing in the corner of his mind.

"Hei!" he heard the sound of someone calling him. He looked up and tried to find for the source of the voice. Then he heard the voice call him again. Only, it sounded like two voices called out to him. One belonged to Yin and the other to Hua. He called out to the both of them.

"Hei! Come back!" Hua said.

"How?" Hei asked.

"Please!" he heard Yin's voice plead. "Don't leave me here alone!" He reached out towards the light, grabbing onto something that felt like Yin's hand. But not really Yin at the same time.

Then, he found himself back in the Gate. There was fog all around and he only could see Yin near him. Amber was nowhere in sight. He asked, "Where's Amber?" He followed Yin's gaze to the pile of clothes and bag that was on the bench before he looked at the clock tower.

"She turned back time with whatever remaining power she had left…" Hei murmured. "She planned that… From the very beginning…" Hei knew what he had to do. But first, he had to make sure that Yin was in someplace safer. "Let's go."

* * *

Hua stood outside, finishing off anymore of the soldiers. She could not let any of them respond to any distress calls that came from PANDORA. She wondered whether Amber had already managed to talk Hei into agreeing with them. She had just finished off the last soldier when she saw everything start to glow blue for a few minutes before going back to normal. She looked at the wall that was created around the Gate, knowing that Amber had managed to convince Hei. She somehow knew in her heart that Amber was dead and felt sad about it.

"Let's hope that you are right about this then…" Hua murmured. She made a small patch of white lilies pop up in the ground, sort of like a small bouquet of flowers to see Amber off. "I will miss you, Amber…"

She got to her feet and slowly changed into a bird, heading for one of the entrances to PANDORA. She saw a huge hole in the top of one of the several outlooks made into the wall and went to it. She dropped silently onto the roof, seeing another soldier up there, his gun aimed at something. She drew one of her swords and quickly slashed across his throat as he turned around to look at her. He dropped down dead. She looked into the hole and saw Hei inside. She stood up and left. She could not let him see her just yet.


	16. Chapter 16

Done!

Sorry that I took so long to write this chapter.

I think it is sucky... So please forgive me...

* * *

**Chapter 16: Colours To My Dark Soul**

Months have passed and Hei still could not find her. He had looked everywhere for her and yet found not a single trace of Hua. It was as if she had just vanished. Yin had showed him where Hua lived right after he was done with his last mission inside PANDORA. But, the apartment had been cleaned out. As if the owner had packed up everything and fled.

He knew in his heart that she was out there somewhere. Most probably covering his back as she had inside the Gate. He had seen the dead soldier with the long slash across his throat. Only one person would have been able to do that and then leave without a trace. He missed her. He missed her very much.

* * *

"Here you go, sweetie," Hua said, handing a little girl back her purse. "Make sure you take up some self defense classes or something next time." She smiled as the little girl hurried off to find her mother. This week was the last week she was going to be doing any job helping other people. She had managed to find a place on board a ship headed for America. She could not live in Japan any longer. Not with the syndicate hot on her heels. Not with all the memories she had of Hei and the short time they had together.

She missed him and had wanted to see him. But she was not sure that he would be happy in seeing her and she did not want to have her heart broken again. Especially since she had no one else here with her now. Her nightmares of the past haunted her again. The face of the bully boy that she had killed when she first received her power, the times when she had nearly lost Shou and when she finally lost him, the first killing mission she had gone on. The innocent people she had accidentally killed. Everything… It all came back now that she had lost almost everyone she had treasured.

Hua shook her head, pushing the images to the back of her mind. She would forget about him as soon as she leaves from Japan. She would start over again and go back to her normal life. _Yeah… A life without Shou or Hei. Can you live with that?_ a voice in her head taunted her. Hua blinked back her tears. She was strong. She could go through this. Her life had never been about her and never will be.

She looked down at her watch, seeing that it was late. She sighed and headed back to the place she was currently staying at. An abandoned factory that she had made into her temporary home. She walked through the door and felt a difference in the air. She ducked as something silver sliced through the air where her head was.

She punched the figure in black in the stomach before hitting him in the throat. The man gurgled as he dropped to the ground, suffocating from a blocked windpipe. She heard someone yell and looked upwards to see a man dropping from the ceiling to the ground. She threw herself to the side, rolling before quickly getting to her feet. She saw the man look straight at her, his eyes red and body glowing blue.

A stack of wooden crates exploded, sending long splinters of wood flying everywhere. Hua barely avoided being turned into a pincushion by ducking behind six cement pipes that were piled on top of each other nearby. Then, she saw a flash of silver in the corner of her eyes and ducked under the slash of a katana. She kicked the legs from under the man that attacked her and stabbed him in the chest with her sword before quickly pulling the sword out and moving away.

She needed to get to the top level of the factory. Her belongings were there. Her pictures with Shou were up there! She could not lose them. She changed into a tiger and roared at any one who stood in her way, using her teeth and claws to attack them. She crossed the factory towards the stairs and was half way up them when she felt something pierce her back leg.

Her legs collapsed from under her and she changed back into a human. She saw a dart in her leg and pulled it out, trying to stand up. But the drug that was in the dart begun to make her drowsy and tired, causing her to collapse to the ground. She pulled herself up the steps, determined to make it up there.

"Where do you think you are going, sweetheart?" a man's voice said. Hua felt someone grab her hair and yank her back. She grunted from the pain and struggled to get free. But her efforts were futile. Was she suppose to die this way? Then, she heard the sound of agonized screams.

"What is going on back there?" the man demanded, turning to look at his other comrades. Suddenly, his grip on her hair vanished and Hua collapsed to the ground. She turned to the side to see someone standing above her. Someone wearing a very familiar mask… Then, she dropped into roaring blackness.

* * *

When she woke up again, Hua found herself lying down in a bed. The ceiling she stared up at was different from the factory she had taken shelter in. She sat up and rubbed the side of her head, feeling as though someone was squeezing the sides of her head so tightly that it hurt. She looked about her, trying to figure out where she was. Then, she noticed a green coat hanging on a hook on the wall of the room.

Her eyes widened and she quickly got to her feet, grabbing her swords from where they lay on the ground beside her. She crossed the room to the window and opened it. She looked out, seeing that it was night and that she was in a very rundown housing estate. The room she was in was on the third floor of a house and far from the ground with no trees nearby. She did not feel as though she had any energy left in her to make a plant sprout from the ground. She leaned out the window and grabbed onto the edge of the roof, pulling herself up.

She had barely managed to pull herself onto the roof when she realized that there was someone there as well. She quickly got to her feet, drawing one of her swords. She realized who it was and felt happy to see him. But was he happy to see her or was he there to settle the score with her?

"Where are you going?" Hei asked. "You shouldn't be getting out of bed. The drug has not completely flushed out from your system." She did not say anything, instead, she looked down at the ground. "Hua…? Why are you leaving the country without letting me know anything?"

Hua looked at him, surprised that he knew. Then, she looked away again. "I have to. I am not safe here… Besides, there is nothing more for me to do here."

"Yes! There is, Hua." She looked up at him and felt his lips on hers as his arms encircled her waist. She was surprised but slowly gave in to the kiss before she remembered what had happened on that day five years ago. She pushed him away. "Hua…?"

"I thought you hated me! You have every right to hate me!"

"If you are talking about that day, I don't. I have come to realize that I was in the wrong. And-"

"I killed your sister, Hei!"

He was stunned by what she had said. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"That day, five years ago, she sacrificed her life so that I could have a portion of my brother with me!"

"I don't understand. She died from sealing off Heaven's Gate."

"No, Hei. Amber and her had planned her getaway. As soon as she had managed to alter the particles around the Gate, Brita was to teleport her out. But…" Her mind went back to what had happened that day five years ago.

* * *

"No. I can't. I am dying, Hua…" She felt something warm run down her leg and looked down, seeing drops of dark red blood run down her leg. "Hua…"

"I will get you back to base."

"No!" Shou shouted at her. "You must get out of here! Quickly!"

"I can't leave you here!"

"Yes! You can! Save yourself."

"Shou!" She noticed his eyelids drooped shut. He sat down on the ground, as if he was tired. "SHOU! Don't you dare sleep on me while I am talking to you! SHOU!" She grabbed his shirt in her fists, burying her face into his shirt. "Shou…"

She felt someone's eyes on her back and quickly stood up, turning around, ready to strike who was there. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Pai and Brita. Pai looked at her with sad eyes and said, "Move. I will give you a part of him that you may always carry with you."

Hua moved aside as Pai knelt on the ground beside Shou. She murmured something softly into his ear and then motioned Hua to hold one of her hands. She used her free hand and touched Shou's forehead. Her body glowed blue and Hua thought she saw something transferring from Shou, towards her. When Pai finally released them, it looked as if nothing had changed on either Shou or her.

Hua looked closer and noticed that Shou was no longer breathing. She knew, somewhere deep inside of her knew, that he was gone. Her tears begun to flow down her face. Now, she had no one at her side. She had no one to keep the nightmares away when she dreamt at night. No one to comfort her when she woke up screaming.

"Take her away from here, Brita," Pai said.

"But…" Brita begun to say.

"I will be fine. Go!"

"As you wish, Pai. Don't do anything until I am back."

Brita hugged Hua and whispered into her ear, "Close your eyes, dear. We will be out of here in a jiffy." Hua obeyed and closed her eyes. She heard the sound of wind roaring her ears before the sound turn to loads of people talking.

"Where is Pai?" Hua opened her eyes to see a group of people around them. They looked like they were in some sort of hall. In front of them, stood Amber.

"She told me to come back," Brita said. "To bring this girl here. I will go back for her."

Amber looked at something behind them and said, "No. You are too late."

Brita turned and so did Pai. There were huge television-like screens on the wall behind them. Two of the screens showed what looked like the overview of Heaven's Gate. The Gate glowed blue. Suddenly, a white light erupted from the Gate. There was something like an explosion before the Gate disappeared from view.

Amber turned away from the screen. "We have lost many brave people today. But we have to prepare ourselves before the syndicate tries this again. Move out."

Hua grabbed Amber's arm. "No! Amber! Turn back the clock! Save her!"

Amber jerked her arm away and said, "Move out. The syndicate will be on us at any moment. Let's get going."

* * *

Hua looked away from Hei as she finished saying what had happened that day five years ago. "You have every right to hate me. I killed an innocent person because of my carelessness that day. I am very sorry. She should have just let me die. She-" Hei reached out and pulled her close to him.

"If you have died, I would have never been able to meet such an incredible person who had managed to make me feel so alive. Who challenged the perspectives I had on the world. Who made me see that there is more than what the eye sees. I am grateful that she had sacrificed herself for you. Though, I am sad about it. But I am grateful that she did."

"Hei… I…"

"I love you, Hua. And that is all that matters. I love you. You bring colours to my dark soul." He pulled away a little and tilted her head upwards as he gently and passionately kissed her again. She kissed him back, running her hands through his hair.

* * *

The man aimed his gun at the back of one of the figures that stood on the roof. His entire squad may have been eliminated but that did not mean that he would give up the fight so easily. When he was finally sure, he squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot filled the silent night.

The End.


End file.
